Father of Time
by GuruGuru214
Summary: Sequel to The Deity's Escape, part 3 of the Switch series. This is what happens when Link and co. return from Termina.
1. Ruto's Tale

Welcome to another fic of mine! Reading the two stories that come before this is very important if you want to understand this, although you can skip parts of it if you just want the background info. Well, I don't really have much to say, so I'll just get right to it! Oh, yeah. I think I found the lost chapter 20 from the Deity's Escape.  
  
The Deity's Escape  
  
Chapter 20 - THE LOST CHAPTER  
  
November 21, 2003  
  
FanFiction.net  
  
Dez384 sat at his computer, typing a review for GuruGuru214's story, the Deity's Escape. "'What is right is not always what is popular.' I heard that somewhere. If you like zoras so much then why don't you pair Link with Ruto. She is the only girl who actually took action to get Link. They were engaged at one time. Thank you for adressing my reviews. That was a fist for me. I can't wait for more." GuruGuru214, reading this review decided that his unspoken wish would be granted. His fingers working madly, he finished the Deity's Escape, and started a new story, Father of Time, which would grant the wish of Dez384 the best that he could without killing Malon or making her divorce Link.  
  
Pretty good lost chapter, huh? No? Well, that hurts. Well, I guess I'd better just start on this fic then.  
  
Once again, since I don't believe that disclaimers are necessary on FANFICTION.net, this one will apply for the whole fic, just to keep people happy.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda series or anything that relates to it, other than this fanfic and the copies of the games and player's guides I have purchased.  
  
Note: I am still using the days in relation to the night that Malon and Zelda were switched. Hard to believe that it's only been two weeks since then, huh?  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Beyond the Sacred Realm  
  
The goddesses returned Link to Clock Town and a dreamless sleep. "Have we done the right thing, letting the Hero of Time know what we have done?" asked Din.  
  
"I believe so. We may be the golden goddesses of Hyrule, but if we are not truthful with the few we speak to, they may cease to trust us," answered Nayru.  
  
"What happens now?" asked Farore, signaling the start of one of the goddess' rapid conversations where nobody knows who's speaking when.  
  
"Through Link, all of Hyrule will be once again unified. He and his 'brothers' are in relationships with the Hylian people, the Royal Family, the Kokiri, and, soon, the Zoras. He is sworn brothers with the leader of the Gorons, and a connection with the Gerudo is soon to come."  
  
"What about his child?"  
  
"That child will grow up to be the most powerful mage in the history of Hyrule. With the Hero of Time as its father, the child is destined to contribute to Hyrule's well-being."  
  
"So what do we do now?"  
  
"We stay here, watching over what we have started, until we are needed again."  
  
"It's funny that even we three goddesses could not see the repercussions of switching the farm girl with the princess."  
  
"Indeed it is. However, we knew that it would ultimately benefit Hyrule. We just never could have imagined that it would be through the Hero of Time."  
  
Day Fifteen, Third Day, Seventh Three Day Cycle; 5:30 AM  
  
Zora's Fountain  
  
Ruto, Princess of the Zoras could not sleep. Her dreams had been filled with images of Link. She would be trying to catch him, but before she could get to him, Malon would appear and take him away. It had broken her heart when they got married.  
  
'I wish that there was some easy way through this, but there's not. I love Link so much. If only there was some way that he could love me back and be with me, but I don't want anything bad to happen to Malon or for them to split up, I mean she is my friend... Oh, well. I guess it's just my fate to suffer like this.' Just then, as she looked to the south, her vision started moving. She was taken into the Lost Woods, into a cave. She came out of a door at the base of a clock tower and rose to the top. She flew up and into the mouth of the hideous moon that was being held above the tower by five giants. She crossed the grassy field she was in and was shown by a child in a mask into an arena, where a battle was taking place.  
  
"The... the gauntlet!" Link called upon the power of the same wish the Fierce Deity had exploited in the first place to save Termina from himself.  
  
"What... What's happening to me?" asked the Fierce Deity, although he already knew the answer. However, Link was not calling upon only one wish. He thought back to when he created Tael. While the Fierce Deity, spirit, power, form, and all was pulled into his face, the physical matter than had been his body began to change. A new spirit entered it, and it took the shape of a form that could be seen in three other places in the room. A white glow surrounded the face of the creature, while a blue glow surrounded the rest.  
  
Link knew that the battle was out of his hands now. The fate of Termina rested in the hands of this new person, named Miku in honor of the Zora, Mikau. "Get off my face!" screamed Miku in a voice that sounded very much like those of his brothers. The Fierce Deity was powerless against the pulling, and finally, the mask came off and flew to join the boss remains and the original Fair Deity Mask.  
  
Ruto's consciousness was pulled out of the room, and as she flew back to Zora's Fountain, she saw the moon being destroyed. When she arrived back home, she looked up into the sky to see the pattern of the Triforce being drawn by the stars, just before she blacked out.  
  
She woke up five minutes later, feeling a little strange. Looking at her reflection in the water, she saw why. She was no longer a Zora. She was a Hylian. She had deep blue hair and lovely violet eyes, and she was dressed in a blue tunic. Suddenly, she fell through the ground, only to hear a strange song and fall out of the sky in the same place, two days in the past. She took out the ocarina Link had given her and played Saria's Song as quickly as she could to see if she could help. All that was left to do was wait.  
  
Day Fourteen: Morning  
  
The Lost Woods  
  
There were three more beings in the party that exited the Lost Woods than in the one that had entered. As well as having Miku, Tatl and Tael had decided to come along. They had almost reached the Kokiri Forest when Saria stopped in her tracks. A few seconds later, she snapped out of it. "We need to go to Zora's Fountain." A few turns and a big dive later, they were all standing at the entrance to Zora's Domain. Zelda played her lullaby and they all entered and ran up past the king into Zora's Fountain. They were approached by a young Hylian girl. She was dressed in blue and had hair and eyes the same color as Miku's.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Link. The reply came in a voice that was extremely familiar.  
  
"It's me, Ruto," the girl replied. "I guess you're all wondering what happened." She told them everything that happened, conveniently leaving out just what she had been dreaming about and the fact that she had made a wish.  
  
"Well, your presence in the room might explain the color of Miku's hair, eyes, and clothes," started Zelda, but Link interrupted.  
  
"Ruto, I had a conversation with the goddesses earlier. See, every time this gauntlet is used, a side effect is created. I tried to contain the side effect by creating Miku when I destroyed the Fierce Deity, but it must not have worked, because the goddesses told me that he was not the only side effect. The only other thing that they told me is that it was one of the sages. I think that it was you. You were turned into a Hylian because of this. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's all right, Link. I'll get used to it. I'm just glad you were able to destroy that demon," said Ruto, trying to hold back the tears from talking to Link. That's when her eyes fell on Miku. She realized that he was a perfect copy of Link, and that he was single. Plus, he was staring at her and looked away, blushing, when she caught him. Ruto completely forgot about Link. She was in love with his brother, now.  
  
Wow, that was long, wasn't it? I guess that I just had a lot to say in the first chapter. Well, for those who wanted Ruto in the fic, I guess that you got it. Not that I mind. I like Ruto. Had to change her into a Hylian to pair her up with Miku, though, since I didn't want to pair a Hylian and a Zora or turn one of Link's brothers into a Zora. Well, I guess that's all for now! 


	2. Several Homecomings

Well, first I'd like to apologize to Dez384 ('duh', funny!) for the assuming of gender I have done in the past. All references to you have been changed to reflect the male gender. Sorry I made the mistake twice, but I just barely got your review. I am deeply embarrassed -_-' But, you said you're not offended, so no harm done!  
  
As I have pointed out in the past, and I quote "Ugh. I can't believe I just typed that. CUTER? I need to go wash my hands. As a guy, I feel extremely strange having just typed that." and "Thank you, but as a guy, I find it to be extremely disturbing to hear Link being referred to as 'sexy'." But, hey, I don't expect anybody to pay detailed attention to my 'author's notes' (coughrantscough), and if you're not offended that I assumed you to be... than I'm not offended that you missed that. Like I said before, no harm done, right?  
  
Since this story takes place in the OoT future (*wonders how that was missed considering that Dez384 read the switch, in which Link traveled back in time a few times*), it is indeed, as you put it, "the hot teenage Ruto, not the chubby ten year old version of Ruto". Which I can't disagree with, even though I'd never put it in those terms. I never write things like that the way that they go through my head. I mean, go back to the Aging Kokiri chapter 3 of the Deity's Escape. I wrote that Saria's figure matured, even though what I was thinking and implying was that, well, to put it a few more... impolite... ways, she grew boobs, she became r4|3d, her chest poofed out, she filled out to at least a C cup, etc. Wow. Am I allowed to say that? *disclaimer flashes along bottom of screen*  
  
As I have said before, if any of you are offended in any way, or feel that what I write is not rating-appropriate, e-mail or IM me or put it in a review before you use the 'report abuse' button. That way, I can fix the problem without the whole story getting deleted. Okay? Okay. *end disclaimer*  
  
That's better. Last things, yes, Ruto and Miku are both Hylians, I'm sure that Darunia has a wife (whatever that has to do with this), but I'm not going to even think about going into the issue of female Gorons (like female dwarves for anyone who's seen the Two Towers, haven't gotten far enough in the book yet to know if it's in there or not), and I believe that while Impa is way too old for Link, Nabooru doesn't seem to be that old to me. I mean, even though she did seem to be about the right age for adult Link when he encountered her as a child, she didn't seem to age much in those seven years. I blame it on being trapped in Iron Knuckle armor. If you still think she's too old, tell me and I'll fix it the way I fixed Ruto being a Zora. *grins devilishly* Now, I've gone on long enough. Time for the next chapter!  
  
Note: I've decided to try and record everyone's whereabouts at the time of this chapter all in one chapter, so if it's a little long or confusing, don't worry 'cause I feel the same way!  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Day Fourteen: Morning  
  
Zora's Fountain  
  
"I really am sorry, Ruto. I still feel like this is all my fault." Link was still feeling extremely guilty about turning Ruto into a Hylian.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Link. I think I may have accidentally wished for it to happen, anyway. It's okay. I'll adjust." Link still was looking apologetic, seeing Ruto standing there, still getting used to breathing with lungs only rather than having both gills and lungs. "I'll be all right. Now, I'm sure you need to get settled in at home again after your honeymoon, if you could still call it that."  
  
Ruto and Miku  
  
Everyone used a warp song to get to the temple nearest to their home, forgetting about Miku. "What's wrong, Miku? Why didn't you leave with the others?"  
  
"Well, I don't want you to be bothered by this, but I don't really have a place to stay right now. I figured I'd just hang around here for a while before I go back to the ranch to crash on Link's couch." Miku tried not to look into Ruto's beautiful eyes.  
  
"I think I have a better idea. Grab my hand." Miku placed his hand in Ruto's, and both felt a warm buzz spread from said hands. Ruto used her sage powers to take them both to Lake Hylia. In a nice spot on the shore, she created a house. "Link and Malon will probably want to have some alone time for a while. You could stay here, if you want."  
  
"Thank you, Ruto." Miku finally looked up into Ruto's eyes and he couldn't take it anymore. "Ruto... Ruto, I think I've fallen in love with you."  
  
Ruto was on him in an instant. "I love you, too, Miku! I haven't been able to take my eyes off you since I first looked at you!"  
  
"You know, it looks like that house is big enough for two."  
  
"Well, is that an invitation?"  
  
"More like a request."  
  
"Granted." Ruto and Miku went inside and shared their first kiss before getting everything situated. When they were finished, they all sat down to get to know each other better. Miku thought that this was strange, getting to know each other after declaring their love for each other, but in the back of his mind, he realized that sometimes Hylians could look at each other and suddenly know more about the other person than they knew about themselves.  
  
While they were talking, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Saria, slightly dripping. "Ruto, Miku, Zelda's called us all to Lon Lon Ranch. She has something important to tell everyone. Come with me." The three of them warped back to the forest, where Fado was waiting to go to the ranch with all of them.  
  
Link, Malon, Fado, Saria, Tael, Zelda, and the fairies  
  
Everyone warped to the Sacred Forest Meadow. They were all starting to leave before Link realized something. "Miku! I completely forgot, he doesn't have a place to stay! I have to go back and get him!"  
  
"Link, don't worry about it. Ruto will take care of him," replied Malon.  
  
"Ruto? But why..."  
  
"Link, I know you couldn't see it, but they like each other. I'll bet you 50 rupees they'll be living together in a house by Lake Hylia by the end of the day."  
  
"You don't want to take my money."  
  
"It seems kind of strange that there's four of us, now," said Fado.  
  
"It's the least strange for you, Fado. You've always had two brothers. There were three days where I only had Link, and Link was an only child for his whole life before that." Tael looked a little perplexed by the whole idea. "I guess that we'll just have to get used to it. Besides, somehow I get the feeling that that infernal gauntlet isn't quite finished copying us. Is that all it does, make a copy of us whenever it feels like it?"  
  
"No. Before you were around it un-switched the farm girl and the princess, created a mask that will bind them together until it is destroyed, and after, it created two masks that switched us and destroyed the Fierce Deity. Plus, in the past, it sealed off the six great terrors of Termina in masks. I'd say that most of that is unrelated to replicating me."  
  
"Well, I guess that answers my question." They arrived at Link's treehouse, where everyone but Fado and Saria departed for their homes.  
  
Fado and Saria  
  
Once everyone had gone, Fado and Saria started talking. "What do you think will happen to us, now? I mean, will we start aging and die, now?" Saria asked, a look of worry on her face. As a Kokiri and a sage, she never had to worry about her own mortality.  
  
"Link told me about his conversation with the goddesses. They said that all of us, meaning all fourteen of us who were just at Zora's Fountain, are immortal and will never age any more than we have."  
  
Saria was relieved. "So I get to live forever with someone this cute?"  
  
"Got that right, Sar. You think the others will be angry when they find out that we eloped in Termina?"  
  
"Nah. I get the feeling that Tael and Zelda did the same thing. I'm not worried for them getting it from the rest as I am for them getting it from the king. I mean, the princess of Hyrule eloping in a parallel dimension? He'll probably be so ashamed that he'll set up a second wedding."  
  
"Yeah, I know what you..." but Fado was cut short when Saria heard her song being played and fell into a telepathic trance. "What's up?" Fado asked when she snapped out of it.  
  
"That was Zelda. The king has died. She's queen, now."  
  
"I'm not sure if that's good or bad news."  
  
"Well, Zelda did love her father, but they never really spoke to each other much, and when they did, he never acted very affectionately, so I guess it's not too bad for her. At least she won't have to go through the big wedding, now."  
  
"Does that mean that she told you that they did elope?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what they were doing the day we went to Woodfall. The day we grew up."  
  
"It seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? That's funny, since it was only two days ago."  
  
"Yeah, but with how many times we went back in time, it's been more like three weeks."  
  
"True, but since the time we spent in the temples was sped up, it was shorter than that." They spent a little more time, just chatting about meaningless things before they decided to go meet the others on the ranch. Saria left to get Ruto and Miku, while Fado just waited in the treehouse for them to get back.  
  
Tael and Zelda  
  
As soon as they got back from the forest, Zelda had to rush to Impa to see what had happened while she was gone. For the first time, she saw the Sheikah with tears in her eyes. "Zelda... It's your father. He died of a heart attack in his sleep just after you left. We tried to contact you, but you must have already been in Termina by then."  
  
"Where is he? I want to see him," Zelda managed to choke out. She was taken to her father's throne room, where the king was in a glass coffin, preserved. "I loved him and all, but we were never very close. This isn't affecting me as much as it should, and I feel bad about that." Zelda wasn't even crying.  
  
"I understand. That's just the way that relationships work in royal families. You shouldn't feel guilty. It's not your fault, it's because of the position you were born into. Speaking of which, you're the queen of Hyrule, now. We must start looking for a king for you."  
  
"We already have a king. I know that I am, I mean was, a princess and it was wrong, but I eloped in Termina." She called to one of her servants to bring Tael down. "Impa, this is Tael. He's Link's brother and my husband."  
  
"I'm too happy for you to scold you about eloping. Don't worry about it. Besides, it saves us the trouble of searching for someone to be your king, and since this is Link's brother, I know the kingdom will be in good hands."  
  
"I have to tell one of the others about my father. I'll have Saria call the others to the ranch," Zelda said to Tael. She brought out a red ocarina and played Saria's Song. When she snapped out of her trance, she had the servants start preparing a new bedroom for her and Tael. After she had given them all their instructions, she and Tael departed for Lon Lon Ranch.  
  
Link and Malon  
  
"So we're really going to have a baby?" asked Malon, still unable to believe the wonderful news.  
  
"Yes, and with any luck, she'll be as beautiful as her mother."  
  
"How do you know that it won't be a boy as handsome as his father?"  
  
"I don't, but one can dream."  
  
"So you want a girl?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe. I think we should buy two colors of paint for the room, though."  
  
"I completely forgot about that. You know, I don't think my father ever changed my room from when I was a baby. We could probably just dust in there and it would be ready. I don't think that a baby boy would mind too much if it was pink until we get a chance to paint." Malon removed a panel from the side of the stairs, revealing that there had been a door there the whole time. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this before, it just kind of slipped my mind that it was here."  
  
"That's all right, Mal. Just as long as you're not forgetting to tell me that there's some sort of monster inside. I'd rather be able to grab my sword before we go in."  
  
"Very funny, Link." She looked inside. "No monsters, unless you count giant dust bunnies." She looked at Link, who just stood there, in a trance.  
  
"I just had a strange vision. Hyrule was underwater, and there was this boy who looked kinda like me, and he pulled out this baton and..." Link reached into his pocket, where a strange silver baton had appeared. He waved it around a bit, causing a huge gust of wind to blow all the dust out of the room.  
  
"I guess that's one way to do it. What's that thing called?"  
  
"I don't know. I think it's called the Wind Waker. I get the feeling that it belongs to the king. We should ask Zelda about it." As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, and there stood Zelda.  
  
Probably a bad place to cut it off, but oh well. I'm not entirely sure what I have for them to say, but I have a good idea. It'll work out. By the way, I borrowed the concept of speaking through souls from dan heron, although I changed it quite a bit. It's not so much speaking to each other as just knowing them as if they had known each other for years. You know? Yeah, I know that it's kind of strange that I brought in both the Harp of Ages and the Wind Waker, but they seemed like good ideas. I think I'm done putting musical instruments into the wrong game, though. Well, that's all! 


	3. Information Update

As I sat here at my computer, I was looking through my favorites list, leaving reviews for RL and Harsh Reality, both of which have not been updated in three long months, which I pointed out... what was I saying? Oh, yes. As I sat here, I heard the AOL guy's voice say "You've got mail!" Oh goody! It's probably a review! I move my mouse over the icon to see the quickview of my mailbox (I'm running 9.0. It's horrid in some respects, but it has some nice features such as this.). Surely enough, it's from bot@fanfiction.com! Now, I open this and read the review. And I ask myself (actual precise quotes from when I was talking to myself out loud) while laughing, "Am I really that predictable?! Yes I am!" and I keep laughing. Yes, the thought has crossed my mind to copy Link a fourth time and pair him off with Nabooru. I don't know if I'm going to do it or not, but I might.  
  
Now, as I was reading this review, another thought crossed my mind. Why is it that for so long, I was getting no reviews and updating every day, sometimes more than once in a day, then when I stop trying so hard to update (while still writing at the same pace, just not pushing more important things aside to write anymore) I start getting a ton of reviews? I mean, nobody was paying attention to me anymore after I started a sequel, then just before I start the third part, I get a flood of reviews! It's madness! Well, I guess that I can't complain.  
  
Note: I just noticed that chapter 1 starts and ends at the exact same times as chapter 22 of the Deity's Escape! Isn't that strange?  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Day Fourteen: Late Afternoon  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
"Zelda! What's this about?" Zelda had just mysteriously appeared at the door of Link and Malon's house, just when Link needed to ask her a question.  
  
"I felt a lot of strange things going on. I could tell that everyone has something they need to consult or notify everyone of."  
  
"Is everyone here?"  
  
"Yes, they're all waiting out in the middle of the ranch." The three of them walked over to the eleven others. "Well, there's no easy way to say this, so I'll just say it. My father is dead. Tael and I eloped in Termina, so now Tael is king of Hyrule and I am queen."  
  
"Wow. Well, since we're kinda on the subject, Saria and I eloped, too," responded Fado.  
  
"Well, since we're sharing good news here, I guess I should tell you all that I'm pregnant." Malon, of course.  
  
"That's wonderful, Malon! Oh, you would have won that bet with Link," said Saria.  
  
"Congratulations, you two. Miku, I'm glad you found a, umm, friend so soon after getting here!" Link was the only one dumb enough to say something that would attract so many stares. Quickly, he changed the subject. "Zelda, I wanted to ask you about this." He handed her the Wind Waker. "Do you have any idea what it is?"  
  
"This is the Wind Waker. It used to be used by my father to conduct the gods and the sages of the Earth and Wind Temples, which are hidden away in remote corners of Hyrule, underneath Headstone and Gale Mountains. How did you get it?"  
  
"I went into a trance and it was in my pocket when I woke up. I waved it around a bit and a huge gust of wind blew all the dust out of a room that hasn't been entered in more than fifteen years."  
  
"You must have conducted the Wind's Requiem..." Link cut her off.  
  
"Wait, did you say gods? Not goddesses? Does that mean that there are other gods than Din, Nayru, and Farore?"  
  
"Well, yes. You already know about the Goddess of Time. If it weren't for her, you wouldn't have survived Termina the first time and none of us would be here right now, and Ganondorf would still be in power. There's also Zephos and Cyclos, two gods of wind. They usually hang out around the mountaintops. There aren't really many other gods, and nobody really knows anything about them, except how they will respond if you conduct any of four songs with the Wind Waker.  
  
"Besides the Wind's Requiem, which is used to control the direction of the wind, there's the Ballad of Gales, which creates a cyclone to take you wherever you want to go; the Song of Passing, which is identical to the Sun's Song you already know and sounds similar as well; and the Command Melody, which will allow you to telepathically control either certain people who trust you or special statues. Two others, the Earth God's Lyrics and the Wind God's Aria, have special influence when played by the proper sage in the proper temple. They are also used to awaken a new sage should anything happen to the old ones."  
  
"Wow. Do you want it back?"  
  
"No, I think you should keep it. My father was the only one who could use it, so since you can as well, you should keep it. Besides, I get the feeling that one of your descendants will need it."  
  
"Thanks! Well, it's getting late, shouldn't you all be going home?" Everyone said their goodbyes and played a different warp song, disappearing in three different colors of light.  
  
That's it for crapter 3! I kinda had to make everyone meet up again before I completely split them off. It's not like I'm going to separate them from each other, it's just that I'm going to be skipping over a lot of days. Besides, every pair will show up every fourth chapter. I haven't decided on the order I'll have them take turns in yet. Oh, yeah, Ninmast, it was one week that they spent switched, plus Link spent about a month (four weeks) in Termina the first time, then there's been about another week where nobody went back in time, then about three weeks while they were fighting the Deity. 1+4+1+3=9 weeks. 9÷4= about two months and a week. But since I didn't write in great detail about when Link was in Termina the first time, and nobody else but Tatl was with him, I'd say that your miscalculation was excused. The point of this is that I don't think that Link has lost many years of his life in the way you're thinking. Since he slept for seven years, I don't think it matters if he goes back in time a few times. You know? Ah, well. It doesn't matter. By the way, if Dez384 is reading this, please review so I know if you've accepted my apology. 


	4. Link & Malon: Morning Sickness

Elope? Complex? Are you okay? Well, maybe I should start using words like floccinaucinihilipilification... Just in case I do, it means the act of judging to be useless... And as far as the song goes, I'm not sure if I should be flattered or insulted... I'm assuming you're all laying on the floor because you're laughing at that last chapter, which was horrible, a true crapter. Well, I guess I'll just get on with it. It'll be strange, only writing about two of them at a time...  
  
Note: I don't know much about pregnancy, and I'm definitely not going to do the research (eek), so forgive me if anything is wrong with Link and Malon's chapters up until the child is born. I think I'll be skipping ahead a lot, to avoid that, and also to make sure I don't drag this part out too long. I think that this story will last about a year, then I'm going on to part four.  
  
Note 2: From this point forward, I'm going to try writing from different people's points of view. I'll toy with it for a while.  
  
Note 3: This is the biggest jump I've ever taken in my writing. This is far beyond being simply out of character for me. Why, oh why did I have to make Malon and Link do 'what most couples do on the first night of their honeymoon'? Oh, yeah, to 'protect my plot for the future'. Boy, was I stupid.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Day Forty-Five, One Month Later: Morning  
  
Link & Malon, Link's POV  
  
There are some things about pregnancy that I never knew about and really didn't need to learn about, but for Malon's sake. Morning sickness is one of those things. It was hard to wake up every morning to Malon jumping out of bed to empty whatever might be in her stomach. It's kind of ironic, considering that she was eating for two, even if the baby had only been developing for one month.  
  
One thing I couldn't help but wonder was if the baby had been developing while we were in Termina, or if going back in time restored it to having been conceived the night before. I couldn't figure out whether Malon was one or two months pregnant. It was strange, because she wasn't showing any signs of it at all when we were in Termina, but maybe that was normal for the first month? I don't know. I'm a guy, we're not supposed to know these things. Maybe time travel was masking the effects. Either way, my wife and I would be welcoming a new life into this world in eight months, at the most.  
  
"Hey, Mal. Feeling any better?" I asked, hoping I was doing a good job playing the concerned husband. I think being the Hero of Time was easier, because being Father of Time was just Hell, and the baby wasn't even born yet! I'm sure it was worse for Malon, but at least she knew what was going on. I was clueless, although that may have been good or bad.  
  
"Yeah, I feel a little better now."  
  
"You wanna go get some fresh air? You've been cooped up in this house for days. I know you've never gone this long without going outside."  
  
"Okay." We walked outside and into the middle of the field.  
  
"You know, it's killing me to see you like this."  
  
"However bad it is for you to see me like this, it's a million times worse to actually be like this."  
  
"I know. I'm just worried about you."  
  
"I'll live through this. I'm immortal, remember?"  
  
"Yeah. I remember, since I'm immortal, too and for the same reason. Malon, just imagine... Both of our child's parents are keepers of the Triforce. What do you think our kid will be like?"  
  
"Well, hopefully he or she or... it won't be too adventurous, like its father."  
  
"Hey, I seem to remember somebody marching into Ganon's Tower with me, even though she didn't need to go, since I was the only one needed to destroy Ganondorf."  
  
"Actually, at the time, you and Tael were wearing those masks, so it was him that needed to be there, not you."  
  
"Don't rub it in. At least I was the Hero of Time again after the first battle. Trust me, it was thrilling, plunging that sword through Ganon's brains."  
  
"I didn't need to hear that." Malon ran back inside and I could hear retching noises. Oops.  
  
So, how was it? Two firsts in one chapter! First time writing in anybody's pov (it'll be worse when I'm forced to write for the girls), plus first time I've gone into this territory. I hope I did all right. Since I got just got around to reading my reviewers' profiles and some of their stories, I know now that at least one of you has kids (which means that one of you two was pregnant at least twice) and a husband (which means it was you), so I know that at least someone will realize that I got things wrong, but I'm a 16 year old boy, so take it easy on me, please. Why would a 16 year old guy be writing a fic that involves writing about one of his favorite characters being pregnant? Don't ask me. It was partially an accident. Like I've said before, I'm not the one writing the story, my fingers are typing through the will of some unknown being. Maybe some ghost or spirit is possessing my hands and writing this fic. Ugh. 


	5. Zelda & Tael: The Pressures of Ruling

Why, oh why do I always find myself responding to reviews at the beginning of each chapter? Well, yes, Atchika, I did my research and you have indeed 'been found out'. lol Is that a bad thing? Anyways, thanks for the offer, but for now, I'm probably going to stick with my original plan and pass over most of the pregnancy. Understandably, I just don't want to go there. If I change my mind, I'll be sure to ask you, though. If not, then maybe I'll find this stuff out in ten years or so... Also, how can you be sure it'll be Link jr.? I'm not saying it won't be, but I'm also not saying it will be. I've been thinking about it for a while, and although I still haven't decided for sure, I think I know whether it'll be a boy or a girl. I was going to let the reviewers decide, but I changed my mind. Oh, as far as the pov thing goes, I've decided on one pov per chapter. This combined with moving between couples, each character should get to be the featured pov every eighth chapter. For now. I'm thinking of introducing more main characters. Not sure about it yet, but I'm thinking about it. Well, now that you all know most of my ideas, as well as some things I'm still deciding, let's just get to the chapter.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 5  
  
Day One Hundred, Two Months Later: Afternoon  
  
Zelda and Tael: Zelda's POV  
  
Hyrule Castle Courtyard  
  
"Tael, I don't know if I can do this. The stress of being queen is too much for me." This sight was one that my subjects could never see: me, the queen of Hyrule, sitting with my king in the courtyard, almost crying from the stress of leading a country. It may or may not have made sense, considering that I had always had to make important decisions. The difference is that I no longer had my father to guide me.  
  
"Don't worry about it, Zel. You're doing fine. Have you heard about that other country across the sea, you know, Ivalice? I heard that they have this horrible prince, Mewt. He's got his mother wrapped around his finger, making all these horrid laws. Did you know that on certain days, it's illegal to use a sword? It's so bad, they have this guy, Ezel Berbier, who's creating these 'antilaw cards' that can change the laws through some sort of magic or something. It's madness!"  
  
I almost started laughing. "Sounds like something out of a book or some sort of game." I dried my eyes. "Hey, have you heard from Link lately? How's Malon?"  
  
"He says she's fine, just kinda tired. He finally figured it out. It turns out that when we got back from Termina, the time travel had kept the baby from developing, but for the first couple months, it developed faster, so she's four months pregnant now."  
  
"It scares me. I mean, I'm seeing what Malon's going through now, and I know that I'm going to go through that some day so there will be an heir to the throne."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Zel. You can handle anything. I mean, if you were able to hide the fact that you had the Triforce from Ganondorf for seven years, then lead the sages in his defeat, not to mention the week you spent living on Lon Lon Ranch, you can do absolutely anything."  
  
"Thank you. You always manage to make me feel better."  
  
"Of course. What else am I here for?"  
  
"For this." I looked up and kissed him. I love doing stuff like that when he doesn't expect it. I mean, I've been raised to be the perfect princess my whole life, how could he possibly expect me to just kiss him out of nowhere?  
  
"You know it's not fair to catch me off guard like that."  
  
"Yeah, but I love seeing your eyes go wide when I do."  
  
"It's still not fair."  
  
"Nothing's fair."  
  
"I think you're pretty fair."  
  
"Why don't I go roll around in the mud for a while, then we'll see exactly how fair you think I am."  
  
"Then you won't be fair anymore. Then you'll just be hot."  
  
"Pig!" I punched him in the arm. Honestly, is that all men ever think about?  
  
"Can't you take a joke?"  
  
"So I wouldn't be hot?"  
  
"Okay, a joke and a compliment, then. Happy?"  
  
"You have no idea." I kissed him again.  
  
"I thought we already talked about this."  
  
"You were talking, I was staring into your sexy green eyes."  
  
"Is that any kind of way for a lady to speak?"  
  
"I only have to be a lady in public. When I'm alone with my husband, I can be as rude as I want."  
  
"Let's go inside. It looks like it's going to rain."  
  
I was just about to say that there wasn't a cloud in the sky when I heard a short tune behind me. The next thing I knew, I was drenched. Tael was dead! "Get back here! Don't forget, I have magic powers as a sage! I can do terrible things to you!"  
  
"Yeah, but I know that you would take one look at me and you would have to let me go!" He was right, but I didn't admit that to him. I was having too much fun chasing my man around the garden.  
  
I don't know how I got through that one. I mean, I said that it's easier to write about Hyrule Castle than Lon Lon Ranch, but I was wrong. I have since discovered that Zelda can be difficult to write about. Somehow, she hasn't attracted much excitement in this. To make up for the lack of anything for her in this story, I've decided to take a break after this and write a short Zelink fic, possibly a one-shot.  
  
Oh, before I forget, Atchika, I decided that there was something that I wanted to ask you, but for obvious reasons, I don't really want to ask through my publicly posted story and be answered through the publicly viewable review system. Could you e-mail me when you read this? ekgiii@aol.com, if you don't feel like going to the top and clicking on the link to my profile. I'd really appreciate it.  
  
By the way, does anyone recognize the game that Ivalice is from? I'm not sure if it's in more than one game in the series, so I narrowed it down with Mewt, Ezel Berbier, and the antilaws. 


	6. Miku & Ruto: Facing Father

Well, I guess it's only fair to let everyone know what might be happening here. As you are all undoubtedly aware, there was something that I asked Atchika. I don't want to say what yet, because that would ruin it. But I think you all need to know how it might affect this fic, not in the plot, though. See, depending on how long I have to wait for Atchika's response, what her response is, and another factor that I can't say here because it would give it away, this chapter and the next might be all you get for a while. However, if this is the case, there are a few ideas I've had for some short fics, so I won't be completely dormant.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Day One Hundred Thirty, Two Months Later: Afternoon  
  
Miku & Ruto, Miku's POV  
  
Lake Hylia  
  
My life has been a strange one. To this day, I'm not sure if I was five months old, or nineteen years old. When Link created me in that arena on the moon, I was basically given his past, his memories. Yet, everything was still new to me.  
  
In that sense, I could kind of relate to Ruto. She was getting used to being in a Hylian body, just as I was. However, Zoras and Hylians feel nervousness the same way, so that was not new to her in the least.  
  
See, we were sitting on the edge of the lake, getting ready to dive down to the warp to Zora's Domain. Ruto had not spoken to her father in five months, and he had probably given her up for dead. She needed to let him know what happened to her, but wasn't sure what his reaction would be.  
  
"I don't know if I can do this, Miku. What will he say? What will he do?"  
  
"Listen, Ruto. He will be relieved to know that his only daughter is alive, no matter what form she's in. He'll probably feel a little sorry for you, but it'll be okay. Don't worry about it. You'll be fine. And I'll be right there with you the whole time."  
  
"Thanks." She grabbed my hand, and together we dove into the lake and swam through the warp. Coming out in Zora's Domain, we got out of the water and walked the path up to the throne room.  
  
"Hello, young Hylians. Are you ambassadors from the Royal Family, or do you have some other business here?" asked King Zora, completely unaware that the girl I was standing next to was his daughter.  
  
"King Zora, we know of your daughter's disappearance. We know what happened to her, where she is." I figured this would be a good way to start. Looking back, I realize that the king could have easily taken that to mean that we were holding Ruto somewhere.  
  
"Ruto! Where is she? Is she all right?"  
  
"Well, she has changed, but she is all right. As for where she is, she's right here." I could see Ruto to my right as I said this, gathering her courage to speak. She knew that she would have to be the one to tell him.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"It's me, Daddy. It's me, Ruto. Five months ago, I got turned into a Hylian by the goddesses. I couldn't come back here and face you after. I wasn't sure how you would take it."  
  
"Ruto? It really is you! Well, although it does make me sad that you have to go through this, I am otherwise fine with it. However, this does put us into a difficult position. You were the last remaining member of the Zora Royal Family, other than myself. Now, all your descendants will be Hylian."  
  
"Sir, if I may interrupt, my brother, Link, might have a solution to your problem."  
  
"Link? That boy who saved Lord Jabu-Jabu and broke the curse on the Water Temple? I thought he didn't have any siblings! Who are you?"  
  
"My name is Miku. I'm one of Link's identical quadruplets. Our other brothers are Tael, who is now king of Hyrule, and Fado, who lives in the Kokiri Forest. Link's living on Lon Lon Ranch with his wife, Malon. I suppose I should tell you now that I'm your daughter's boyfriend and we've been planning on getting married soon."  
  
"How soon? What sort of wedding do you want?"  
  
"Well, Daddy, we were planning on having a small wedding." Ruto knew these things better than I did, so I let her take care of it.  
  
"If you like, I could perform a private ceremony right now. Since you're currently a Hylian, we couldn't go through with the traditional Zora wedding without raising too many questions." We agreed, and before we knew it, we were married. "Now, I have to ask, what can Link do to ensure that the Zora Royal Family continues?"  
  
"Well, sir, he has this magical item that might help us. However, he's busy right now. Malon's expecting a baby in three months. I'll talk to him about it as soon as I can, though. I'll be back here as soon as I can to tell you what we've come up with."  
  
"I thank you, my son." It hadn't hit me that this was my father-in-law until he said this. "Now, I'll let you and Ruto go. I'm sure it's a long way home for you." I smiled. You could see by the look on his face that he was just coming up with an excuse for me and Ruto to go off and be alone together.  
  
Well, that was the most horrid wedding in all of history, I bet! Still, I hope you all enjoyed it. I wrote that note at the top yesterday, and as of right now, I still don't know what's going on. Atchika still hasn't gotten back to me, although that's understandable, with yesterday being Thanksgiving and all. I think I might try my hand at a LinkNavi fic after the next chapter. I dunno. I guess it just depends on what I feel like writing. I'll probably do a lot of one-shot fics until I find out what's happening here. It seems funny, that this is my story, yet I have no idea what will happen, and I'm not even talking about the plot! *hopes Atchika says yes* Yes, that does mean it was a yes or no question, but I'm not telling you all what it was! 


	7. Saria & Fado: Making Peace With Mido

Sorry this chapter's taken so long, but for a reason I can not explain yet, I've had to do a bit of planning for chapter 8 lately. I can only tell you that it's going to be a month after this one and to do the math yourselves. Oh, Atchika, if you haven't already done so, check your e-mail. And Dez384, that's not quite what I meant by 'it'. I took 'it' as a way of using a pronoun without assigning a gender to the baby. I've known what it will be since about the time that I announced that Malon was pregnant, and I have decided to use one of your name suggestions. Thanks for that. Most of the names I've come up with have been kinda dumb. Well, I only came up with one name, but it was still dumb. Well, on with the chapter! Did I already use that? 

Father of Time

Chapter 7

Day One Hundred Sixty Five, Two Months Later: Morning

Fado & Saria, Saria's POV

When we got back from Termina, I had been worried about how the other Kokiri would react to me and Fado now that we had aged about seven years. I was right. Even Mido, who'd had a crush on me for as long as we'd known each other, wanted to throw us out of our homes. Now, over half a year later, things weren't looking much better. A couple groups of Kokiri had accepted us: the Know-it-All Brothers and the twins. Lucky for us, that was most of the Kokiri population. Still, Mido was respected enough by the Kokiri that things were still very hard forFado and me. That is, until that day...

Since the only Kokiri who accepted us mainly kept to themselves anyway,Fado and I spent a lot of our time with the Deku Sprout, which is where we were that day. "I wouldn't worry about Mido too much if I were you two. Eventually, he'll realize that you're the same people you always were."

"That makes me feel a little better, Deku Sprout, but it doesn't seem like it'll happen anytime soon. I mean Mido..." I can't remember what I was going to say, as I was cut off by a loud scream coming from the Lost Woods. Tael and I ran to see what was the matter.

Whoever was screaming wasn't going anywhere, soFado and I had no problem finding them in the woods. However, neither of us was prepared for what we saw. A Skulltula had wrapped Mido up in a web from the neck down and hung him upside-down in a tree. There was a Skull Kid with a peashooter, repeatedly hitting Mido in the face. He was switching to throwing small rocks from a pile of rocks that only got bigger. If we'd been much later, some of the large rocks would undoubtedly be smashing Mido's head in.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Mido's back was to us, so he couldn't see that we had arrived in the clearing. I hid behind a boulder where I was while Fado crept through the trees.

"Mido, Fado, close your eyes!" I hurled a Deku Nut out into the middle of the clearing, stunning the Skulltula and the Skull Kid. I hit the Skultulla with a couple Deku Seeds from my slingshot while Fado tied up the Skull Kid with some vines. I mean, Skull Kids aren't bad, they're just mischievous. They just don't know when to quit, that's all. Eventually, he'd break loose and go deeper into the woods.

Apparently, Mido hadn't heeded my warning until after I threw the Deku Nut. He was upside-down, in the tree, stunned, with his eyes closed. I took out a dagger, cut him out of the web, then gave him a sip of a potion made in the forest to restore people who had been stunned. "Mido, are you okay?"

"Saria? Saria, what happened?" Mido was still a little groggy from the combination of hanging upside-down and being stunned.

"Fado and I heard you screaming, so we came and found you with those monsters. I guess you closed your eyes a little too late after I threw a Deku Nut. You got stunned."

"Thanks, you guys. Listen, I'm sorry I've been so mean lately. I know that it wasn't your fault that you ended up like this, and I'm sure you haven't changed any. It seems stupid, now, that I treated you so badly. I mean, I'm friends with Link, and I hated him before he grew up. I've been such a fool. How can I make it up to you?"

"I have an idea. Why don't you and the other Kokiri build an extra room onto my house. Fado and I have been thinking about having him move in with me, isn't that right, Fado?"

"I am? When did we decide that?"

"Two seconds ago. Just go with it."

"Uhh, okay." Those are the two things I love about Fado. He doesn't talk much around other people, and you can get him to agree to just about anything if you surprise him enough.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, Mido, and you have to help, too. I know about that time, seven years ago, when you told me that you would pull the weeds in front of my house, then you made someone else do it." That got Mido to blush.

"I'm sorry. I'll be nicer to the other Kokiri from now on. Besides, I guess that while I've always called myself the big boss of the Kokiri, I always thought of you being the leader. I'm just a big bully."

"Don't worry about it, Mido. Just don't boss people around so much."

"All right, Saria, I guess I owe you that much." While Mido was saying this, I noticed that Fado had gotten bored with this conversation and had gone to tickle the Skull Kid's nose with a leaf.

"Fado, I wouldn't..." Too late. The Skull Kid had bitten Fado's hand. "You'll never learn, will you?" If you couldn't tell, it was Fado who said 'I'm bored!', 'Are we there yet?', and 'I have to go to the bathroom!' in the Clock Town Temple. He may be eighteen on the outside, but I swear he's two on the inside!

So, how was that? Well, the next chapter marks the appearance of either Link Jr. or Marin! Link Jr. is only one of the possibilities if it's a boy, since Dez384 gave me more than one name in his review. However, it's definitely Marin if it's a girl, since that was the only girl name Dez384 gave me in his review. However, you didn't need me to point out those two things, since I said that I'm using one of his suggestions, and they're right there in his review. What was I saying? Oh, yeah! Link Jr. or Marin is coming soon. However, for a reason I cannot speak of yet, this chapter could be a while. Still, check for new stories from me! During the wait, I'm going to be putting up a lot of one-shot fics, like I said before! Now, since I have so much planning done for chapter 8, I should work on chapter 9...

Update 12-28-04: I fixed a bunch of mistakes where Tael's name replaced Fado's. Thanks for pointing it out, Dez!


	8. Someone's Birthday

I know that not all of you read my three one-shots, so not all of you know the explanation for why this took longer than usual. The short version is that I really didn't want to explore the territory involved in this chapter, so I asked Atchika to do it for me. This is a guest chapter, written by my faithful reviewer Atchika, who turned down my offer to put in her own author's note. Thank you, I wouldn't have known what to do without you.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Around Day Two Hundred, One Month Later: 6:00 AM  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
"Link if you don't stop pacing, you'll wear a hole in the floor," Malon said as she started clearing the breakfast dishes.  
  
"My wife is having a baby remember?"  
  
"Really? Well there something I didn't know."   
  
He stopped. "You're being funny right?"  
  
She rolled her eyes at him. "We need to settle on a name," she said absently rubbing her belly, "and don't even think about Link Jr. That is so boring," she said and started walking out of the dining room.  
  
"You shouldn't be carrying that," he said taking the tray, "and it's not that bad."   
  
"Yes it is, and besides," she said as she relinquished the tray "I want a girl."  
  
"Why? Girls are so unexciting."  
  
"Thanks a lot."  
  
"Not you," he said back, pedaling. "You're not a girl..."  
  
She raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You're my wife... and I love you?"  
  
"Would you like a shovel or would you like to continue digging that hole with your mouth?"  
  
"I think the shovel would take too long."  
  
"You are so lucky you're cute when you're confused. Besides," she looked at him and said flatly, "aren't there enough of you roaming around greater Hyrule already?"  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"Oh!" She wavered a little.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Nothing, I think. The baby is bigger and when it moves well, anyway it just felt like it did a summersault."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid this is my first baby too." She went back over to the table and picked up the pitcher of milk.   
  
"Right."  
  
"Come on Fairy Boy let's get those dishes done. Maybe you can come up with a better girl name than you've managed for a boy."  
  
9:00 AM  
  
"Are you trying to get rid of me?"  
  
"Yes, you're hovering and it's making me nutty. I'm not going to break you know. Stuff still has to get done baby on the way or not."  
  
"I know, it's just the closer it gets the more jittery I become." He collapsed into a nearby chair. "How can you not be?"  
  
"Not be what?" she said while looking out the window at the Cuccos.  
  
"Nervous."  
  
"Link you really should finish fixing that fence," she added absently, "and the cows still need to be milked."  
  
"You're avoiding the question."  
  
"Damn straight," she said without turning.  
  
"Alright I know when I'm beat." He paused at the door noticing the faraway look she had. Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her. "Thinking about your Dad?"  
  
"I really miss him," she said, wiping away a tear. "I just wish he could be here."  
  
"Me too." He hugged her tighter. "Don't worry Mal, it'll be all right." He loosened his grip and walked back to the door. "I'll be out milking the cows. Tatl and Navi are here, they'll come get me if anything interesting happens."  
  
She smiled and moved away from the window. Link left for the barn and she went into the kitchen to make some bread.  
  
2:30 PM  
  
As she finished putting away the last of the baby's things, Malon looking around noted that everything was neat and tidy. "Good. Everything's ready." As if waiting for those words to pass her lips, her body decided it really was time. She held the doorframe for a bit and counted out how long it lasted. Trying to remember the instructions Impa had given her. "Oh my. That really hurts." She went to her room and sat on the bed. The pain subsided and she breathed a little easier. She watched the clock on the wall. 5 minutes, 10, 15, 20, 25. She was just about to get up again when the next contraction started. "Navi?" she said through gritted teeth.   
  
"Please go get Link." She watched as the fairy flew through the door lock and out of the room. She relaxed as the pain dwindled. 'That one lasted just a little longer,' she thought. She decided to change out of her work clothes and put on a nightgown. As she lay down on the bed, she could hear Link as he came bounding up the stairs.   
  
The door burst open and he rushed over to her. "Is it time? Are you alright?"  
  
"If it's not then the goddesses are really messing with me this time." She smiled. "You need to get Impa here."  
  
"I know, but I don't want to leave you here by yourself."  
  
"You won't," said a voice from the door. "Go get Impa, Link. I'll stay with Malon."  
  
"Zelda how did you get...?" asked Link, confused  
  
"Get here? Did you forget about the warp point in my room?"  
  
He shook his head. "But how did you..."   
  
"Know?" she said, finishing his sentence again. "I was a young farm girl for a week, remember? Seems I can still pick up strong vibes from Lon Lon Ranch. I've had a stomachache for over an hour now. At first I thought the cook was trying to kill me, he can be so temperamental. Right about then Navi shot out of my closet and she was alone. I didn't need a book to figure out what was going on." He was staring at her blankly, "Why are you still here? Go, go, go!"  
  
Link turned back to his wife and searched her face for an answer. She smiled and watched in dismay as her husband stood up, played the Nocturne of Shadow on his ocarina and disappeared in a flash of blue light. Zelda poured some water into the basin and wet the towel that was there. After placing it on her head she pulled up a chair.  
  
"Are you thirsty?" she asked while pouring some into a glass.  
  
"A little."  
  
"Don't worry Malon," she said handing it to her. "Link will be back shortly."  
  
"I know, but I just had a terrible thought. It's the whole immortality thing," she said while dealing with the next contraction. "What if I end up outliving my child?"  
  
Zelda brushed an errant hair out of her face and looked at her for a moment, "I think what you really need to focus on is getting that baby here in the first place. Time will take care of everything else."  
  
"But how can I be sure?"  
  
"You can't, so just let it be for now. You'll have plenty of time to worry about that later."  
  
4:45 PM  
  
"Where are they?" Malon whispered, looking out her window. She was wandering aimlessly around her small bedroom now, bored with being in her bed. Her contractions were only ten minutes apart, and she was feeling very restless. 'How long is this gonna take?' she wondered to herself. "He should be back by now."  
  
"Should be any time now, " Zelda said as she glanced out the window, "I saw Epona jump the wall probably a half an hour ago....,"  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"What was to tell?"  
  
"I guess," she stretched out her back when another thought hit her. "Oh, goddesses!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
"I'm going to be someone's mother."  
  
"That's usually the end result of something like this."  
  
"I know, but I didn't really realize it till now, you know?"  
  
Zelda smiled, "No."  
  
"Don't you want any children?"  
  
"Yes, but that can wait for a bit. Being a princess can eat up a lot of your spare time, but you know that already."  
  
She was pacing now, checking out the window every few minutes. She looked over at Zelda; even her everyday clothes seemed elegant. "Do you ever wonder what things would be like if we hadn't switched?"  
  
"Not anymore, I got what I asked for. More, actually. With Tael I have even more than I could have dreamed possible."  
  
She looked over at her friend. Yes, she thought Zelda was her friend. Princess or not she would always be there for her. She felt another contraction coming on and drew a sharp breath.  
  
"Malon, I think it's time you laid back down."  
  
She held up a hand and waited for the worst of it to pass. "Yes that would be a good idea," she said when she could talk again.  
  
5:30 PM  
  
"I'll kill him." Only five minutes now.  
  
"That sounds just a teensy bit drastic," Zelda said as she looked out the window again. "Speak of the devil..."  
  
"Let's not." She let out a sigh when she heard Epona neighing outside. "About time."  
  
They heard the clatter of boots on the stairs and the door opened and Link and Impa entered the room. She was happy to see him, but the urge to throttle him was very strong. "What took you so long?" she growled.  
  
Link looked at Zelda, she just shook her head in a way that indicated answering that question could be hazardous to his general well being. "Ummm..."  
  
Impa stepped into the silence and began to ask her a series of questions. Turning back to Link she said, "Go boil some water."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You smell like a horse."  
  
Looking down at himself, he seemed to realize he hadn't changed, washed or anything before leaving to get Impa. "Right." relieved he abruptly turned and walked out of the room. There was enough noise coming from downstairs that she was worried he might hurt himself. She saw Zelda discreetly covering her mouth. Was she laughing? "I'll go make sure he doesn't burn the place down." She heard distinctly unprincesslike laughter after Zelda left the room.  
  
Impa just snorted. "Men..." Returning her attention to Malon, she smiled, softening her fierce look. "You're doing fine Malon, you've gotten through the first part without losing your head. That's good."  
  
"First part?" She sighed. "You mean there's more?"  
  
"Oh yes, but while it may seem the worst, It will also lead you to the best."  
  
9:30 PM   
  
Link quietly sat holding her hand. Pain was a constant now, with the contractions only minutes apart and each was lasting for what felt like an eternity. He listened to her rants about her current condition and didn't flinch at all when threatened with bodily injury if he ever dared lay a hand on her again. Zelda stayed and helped Impa, following her directions with her usual princessy gracefulness. Malon caught sight of herself in the mirror, and was horrified. She was drenched in sweat and could feel her hair sticking to her neck. She pulled the blanket over her head.  
  
"What's wrong?" asked Link, worriedly.  
  
"I look horrible." He tugged the blanket down.  
  
"No, you look fine."  
  
"You're just saying that."  
  
"No, Mal, you're simply the most beautiful woman I will ever see."  
  
She would have smiled if she had had the chance, but Impa pulled back the covers; her water had finally given way. "Okay Malon, time to push." Zelda sat on one side and Link on the other. "Now," Impa said, "you both remember your parts as I described them?" They both nodded. "Good. Malon I want you take a deep breath and when you lean forward I want you to push for as long as you can. We will repeat this until the baby is out. Now, on my mark." She had one had on Malon's belly, feeling contractions, knowing when they hit their peak. "Now."  
  
She took a deep breath, and tried to lean, but was struggling. Link and Zelda supported her back and helped her maintain it longer than she thought she could. After repeating this five or six times she was shaking from the effort.   
  
"Again," Impa said. She groaned but complied. "You're almost there, child. One more really big push ought to do it." She nodded. "Now."  
  
Malon took the deepest breath she could and pushed harder than she thought possible. Groaning loudly with effort, she felt a sudden release and shortly after that heard a baby's cries. Her baby's cry. Impa cleared the goop out of its face and announced, "It's a girl!"   
  
9:50 PM   
  
After a quick clean up Zelda wrapped her up in a warm blanket and brought to her mother. Awake but no longer crying, small blue eyes looked out at her parents as they looked at her with fascinated grins. One stood up came around the bed and then disappeared from view. "Link, are you alright?" her mother asked.  
  
"He's unconscious."  
  
One snorted and said "Men."  
  
Her mother looked back at her and smiled. "Well I guess we can name you when your daddy finishes his nap."  
  
'Yes,' she thought, 'naps are good.'  
  
What did you think of that? I almost feel bad, going back to writing this. Now I have to try to live up to this chapter... Well, I would like to say thanks again to Atchika. Oh, and for all who are wondering, her name isn't Marin. I've come up with something that I think is better. And there is a reason that I requested that Link pass out, but not even Atchika knows what it is... I might get the next chapter up tonight so you'll all find out. Maybe. Probably. We'll see. 


	9. Kimiko

I feel inferior. Oh, by the way, I really feel bad for killing off Talon, now that Malon's been thinking about him again. I also feel bad for making her 'recover' so quickly. I blame Dark Link.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Day Two Hundred: 10:00 PM  
  
Link's POV  
  
???  
  
I woke up in a white room. The last thing I remembered was seeing my daughter and... My daughter... Anyway, "Where am I?" I asked. "I want to see my daughter!" At first, my only answer was my echo. Then, came that familiar voice that sounded like one and three at the same time.  
  
"Physically, you are in the house on Lon Lon Ranch. Mentally, you are inside your own head." As usual, one of the goddesses appeared. This time I was talking to Farore. Strangely, she looked like an oddly pretty Hylian girl of about my age. She didn't seem much like a goddess this time, except for the power I could feel coming from her.  
  
"Look. Think of an environment you like." I did, and we were instantly in a huge forest clearing.  
  
"Farore, I have a question."  
  
"Why do we interfere with your life? Honestly, we're lonely. I guess you can already see part of the explanation. This is my true form. You've seen me a few times before in another form, but that was just a guise. Time passes differently, in that place beyond the Sacred Realm. My sisters and I are actually not much older than you.  
  
"Compared to what everyone thinks of us, we're really just children who were born with incredible power. There are Hylians who have been wiser than the three of us combined, although that doesn't have much to do with anything. Really, we're lucky Hyrule turned out as good as it did.  
  
"When we came into direct contact with you, through Malon and Zelda's wish, I guess we adopted you as a sort of playmate. We just got a little carried away, but I'm sure you can understand. It's terribly boring for us. Well, we'll leave you alone, now. I'll wake you up."  
  
"NO!!! Listen, if it's so boring for you, you should just visit Hyrule sometimes in a physical form, one that looks like this. Besides, I could use some friends who aren't related to me."  
  
"You'd want to be friends with us, even after everything we did to you?"  
  
"Well, only one of those things was your choice, and that wasn't too bad."  
  
"Now I feel bad for what I have to tell you, but we have no choice now that this has started. There's one more thing we need to do."  
  
"Let me guess, another me?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Link, but every race in Hyrule is united through you. Every race but one."  
  
"So you're sending another me off to be with Nabooru?"  
  
"The Gerudo are the most important race to be on good terms with, in case Ganondorf ever breaks out. I mean, we are as close to all-powerful as is possible, but we weren't the ones who made the barrier between Hyrule and the Sacred Realm, and Ganon does have a will of his own."  
  
"It's all right, Farore. Anything else about this plan I should know about?"  
  
"Well, I can tell you that your daughter will be important, but I can't tell you how or why. Now, I know there are some things that Malon was thinking about. Some unanswered questions that she needs to have answered."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Well, for one, she was wondering about the immortality. Well, your daughter is immortal as well. However, it turns out that it is not total immortality. You will all live to be several hundred years old, but it is torture for anybody but a god to live forever, and I can tell you that there is nothing to fear from death. Nobody dies before they are ready, and when they do, they normally enter a new world. I'm not sure about you fifteen, though."  
  
"That's comforting and disturbing all at once. Anything else she needs to know?"  
  
"Well, there is one other thing, but I cannot answer it. Only you and Malon can."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your daughter needs a name. My sisters and I will come to visit in a few days." With that, she pinched me and the forest clearing faded away...  
  
Day Two Hundred One: Morning  
  
Malon's POV  
  
The morning after mine and Link's daughter had been born, I woke up in the bed that had been set up in the baby's room. I had made a pretty bad mess of our normal bed. Thanks to the Triforce, I was back to normal, as if none of it had ever happened. Except for the precious bundle sleeping in the crib next to me. I was about to shake Link awake when his eyes opened. "Link, are you all right? You passed out last night when you saw the baby."  
  
"Kimiko."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We should name her Kimiko."  
  
"See? I knew you could come up with a better girl's name than a boy's name."  
  
"So you like it?"  
  
"I love it."  
  
"Malon, you wouldn't believe the conversation I just had with Farore." He went on to tell me the whole thing. "Wow. Who'd have thought that the three most powerful beings in Hyrule would end up as our friends?"  
  
"I know..." Just then, Kimiko woke up. I went over to the crib and picked her up. "Would you like to hold your daughter?" Link just nodded and I handed her to him. It was strange, how different he looked right then. He looked less like the Hero of Time and more like an actual father. I knew things would be perfect for us for a long time...  
  
I hope I didn't torture you too bad, after you got that little taste of Atchika's writing. I tried to tie things in together as much as I could. Trust me, I have an ultimate plan. It's only half-formed, but it is ultimate. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Sort of. The rest will kinda fall into place. Besides, some of the stuff that fell into place by accident turned out to be the best stuff. Like Tael. He was an accident caused by a certain piece of fan art that I never would have seen if I hadn't read Switching Spaces by Ninmast. He directed me to a certain website to find the fan art that inspired the fic (which I, sadly, never found), where I found some fan art that caused Link to split for the first time! Oh, yeah. Link clone #4 (tentative name) will probably show up in the next chapter. Well, that's it for now! 


	10. Miku's Visit

So, you people like the name Kimiko? I would like to give credit for the idea to MegaTokyo! You should check it out. www.megatokyo.com It's a funny webcomic. One of my favorite characters is Kimiko Nanasawa, part-time waitress and aspiring video game voice actress. Hmm... I should make Link's last name (which is now also Malon and Kimiko's last name) Nanasawa... Nah. Maybe if I decide to give him a last name later...  
  
Note: I'm experimenting with trying to write longer chapters. Tell me how I do!  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Day Two Hundred Two: Morning  
  
Miku's POV  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
I felt really bad coming to Link to ask about this now, but I'd had King Zora waiting for a solution for too long. Besides, I hadn't seen my niece yet. So, I called Link's horse using a song I'd heard Malon singing once, and I rode to Lon Lon Ranch. I was just about to knock on the door when it opened. It was Link. "Hey, Miku. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, besides wanting to see Kimiko, I have a favor to ask you. I really hate to ask two days after you've become a father, but I told King Zora I would do this months ago."  
  
"What is it? Is something wrong?"  
  
"Well, yes and no. You know how Ruto's the last in the line of the Zora Royal Family?"  
  
"She can't produce a Zora heir if she's a Hylian, right?"  
  
"Any ideas? I know you can do something with that gauntlet."  
  
"Well, yes. You know, the only thing I've ever used it for without a side effect is when I made myself able to predict any side effect created by it?"  
  
"Well, which option has the least horrible side effect?"  
  
"I give you and Ruto the ability to transform into Zoras."  
  
"What's the side effect?"  
  
"Your children will be...well, I guess 'were-Hylia'. The good news about that, though, is that they will only transform once every ten years, the first time being ten minutes after they hatch, and the transformation only lasts an hour."  
  
"I'm not sure I like the idea of becoming a Zora, and I don't know if I could handle Ruto being a Zora for nine months."  
  
"Actually, both of you will only have to be Zoras long enough to... well, to get things started. After that, you'll have to keep the eggs in the tank in the Lakeside Laboratory for nine months."  
  
"Do I want to know how you know so much about Zora physiology?"  
  
"Well, besides the fact that I had to rescue seven Zora eggs the first time I went to Termina..." Link pulled out a mask that looked like a Zora and put it on. I guess everyone else had seen it before, but I wasn't created until they were leaving Termina. He put it on his face, and there was a flash of blinding light. Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next.  
  
"Link?"  
  
"Yup. I'm Mikau to every Zora in Termina, though. See, Mikau was fatally wounded when he tried to save those Zora eggs, and he felt guilty that he failed to save them. I used the Song of Healing to heal his soul, and seal the troubled part, along with his form, in a mask. Now, whenever I wear the mask, I become Mikau."  
  
"I see. Well, would you take it off? It's disturbing."  
  
"Sorry. Oh, you and Ruto can change now. I took care of it while I was talking before I put on the mask. Try it." I imagined myself becoming a Zora, and I was one. I looked a lot like Mikau, but with less of a green tone and more blue. The whole thing still creeped me out, though, so I changed back.  
  
"Can I come in and see Kimiko, now?"  
  
"Oh, sure. Come on in." Link showed me to the baby's room, where Malon was just picking her up after her nap. Kimiko had to be the most precious baby I had ever seen. You might say that I had never seen a baby before, but I was given a combination of memories when I was created. Really, Link had re-written history to include me in it. It doesn't matter. Kimiko was still the most precious baby I'd ever seen.  
  
"Hey, did you guys notice that?" I had noticed a spot on her arm. "Look at this birthmark!"  
  
"Triforce shaped?" asked Malon. "What does that mean?"  
  
"I dunno. Farore told me that Kimiko would play a part in their plan, but she wouldn't tell me how. This must be a sign of it."  
  
"Well, I have to be getting back to Lake Hylia. I didn't tell Ruto I was coming today, and she was still asleep when I left." I wasn't sure I wanted to know anymore about Link's conversation with the goddess of courage. How ironic. I walked outside and was about to play the Serenade of Water on the Ocarina of Water (It turns out that there's an ocarina for each temple. Go figure.), when three girls started to walk in my direction, or in the direction of the house behind me, at least.  
  
"Hi, Miku," said the one dressed in blue. I couldn't quite place what it was that was strange about these girls. They looked normal. Maybe prettier than average, but normal. Still, something felt wrong.  
  
"How did you know my name? Do I know you?" That was a dumb question. I'd lived for eight months. Who did I know?  
  
"Well, everyone knows of us. And you are one of the only two who haven't met us out of the fifteen that are connected through Link."  
  
"You haven't answered my first question yet. And who is the other?"  
  
"The other is Kimiko. I'm Nayru. These are my sisters, Din and Farore."  
  
"You can't possibly be..."  
  
"The golden goddesses? Yup. I guess Link didn't tell you about his conversation with Farore. I know you need to get back to Lake Hylia, so we'll explain it to you later. Is Kimiko as cute as she's supposed to be?"  
  
"Wouldn't you know that, being the goddess of wisdom?"  
  
"Some things you have to see for yourself. Well, see ya later, Miku!" As she said this, the world around me changed, and I was standing in front of my house.  
  
I'm a fool. Kimiko was born too soon. I mean, it was nine months after Link and Malon 'did it', so she didn't come too soon as far as time goes. She came 5-10 chapters too soon. I'm too ready to end this fic, but I want about twenty chapters. I could end it and move onto the next part, but I really don't want...to... *is struck by inspiration while typing* That's it! Okay, here's the master plan. Before now, Zelda is the only one of the six (not counting fairies) who had seen Kimiko. Well, I think Miku will come back with Ruto, Zelda will come back with Tael, and Fado and Saria will visit. Besides, there are some POVs I still need to write in first person before my goal of that is achieved. 1st person POVs remaining: Malon, Zelda, Ruto, Fado. Plus Nabooru and he-who's-name-has-yet-to-be-announced, once they are introduced. Not Kimiko. The whole next part will be about her. Well, enough of that. I tend to overdo these things. Till next time! 


	11. The Goddesses' Visit

Well, I'm glad that at least one person who reads this also reads MT and can relate. If not, most of you should! Oh, how I want book 2 to come out! Well, Fred/Piro's deadline is Monday, so... Anyway, I think the goddesses will see Kimiko in this chapter, then each group will get their own chapter (or maybe two to a chapter. We'll see how it goes) in this order: Saria/Fado, Zelda/Tael, Miku/Ruto, then Nabooru/You-Don't-Know-Who-(but I do, so please no more name suggestions) last. The last couple might come the next day. Maybe. Oh, and if you must make suggestions for Y-D-K-W's name, please note that all of the current Links' names have four letters and are related to the series. As is the name I already have picked out. Well, on with it!  
  
Note: This is an interesting POV to write in!  
  
Note2: I never gave a good description of the goddesses. Just think of them as looking just like the Oracles of Ages, Seasons, and Secrets (if you've never seen the official art for the three, go to www.zeldalegends.net), except Farore has short, child Saria-ish (remember, Saria's hair got longer when she grew up) hair and dresses differently. Oh, and Nayru's hair doesn't stick up in front.  
  
Note3: This chapter starts just before the last one ends.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Day Two Hundred Two: Late Morning  
  
The Goddesses: Nayru's POV  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
My sisters and I were on our way to see little Kimiko, the one who hides so much power that not even she knew about. We were walking to the house on Lon Lon Ranch, when we ran into Link's blue clad brother. "Hi, Miku," I said. It was funny to see the look on his face when a total stranger spoke his name. Besides, there's no way he could have not felt our power.  
  
"How did you know my name? Do I know you?" Who doesn't know us? Well, okay. I'll admit that we haven't spoken to many mortals since we created Hyrule, but people still pray to us. That's sorta like knowing us...  
  
"Well, everyone knows of us. And you are one of the only two who haven't met us out of the fifteen that are connected through Link."  
  
"You haven't answered my first question yet." Like Farore told Link, some Hylians have outsmarted us. I had to resist the urge to stick out my tongue at him, but we still hadn't explained to him that we aren't what everyone thinks we are. "And who is the other?"  
  
"The other is Kimiko. I'm Nayru. These are my sisters, Din and Farore." Well, that made his jaw drop.  
  
"You can't possibly be..."  
  
"The golden goddesses? Yup. I guess Link didn't tell you about his conversation with Farore. I know you need to get back to Lake Hylia, so we'll explain it to you later. Is Kimiko as cute as she's supposed to be?"  
  
"Wouldn't you know that, being the goddess of wisdom?" It annoys me sometimes that people seem to think that just because I'm the goddess of wisdom, I know everything. Let me tell you, nobody knows everything.  
  
"Some things you have to see for yourself. Well, see ya later, Miku!" I figured I'd save him a walk, so I sent him to his front door.  
  
"Are you finished, sis?" Din always was impatient.  
  
"Yeah. Come on." We knocked on the door. When Link opened it and saw Farore, it wasn't too hard for him to figure out who me and Din were. He almost jumped out of his skin. It would take him a while to get used to us, but he would eventually.  
  
"Umm... Hi. What's up?"  
  
"Not much. There is something that we need to talk to you about, but we want to see Kimiko first!" He seemed to ease up when Farore started talking to him.  
  
"All right. She just woke up. It's in here." He showed us to Kimiko's room. We looked at her and knew instantly that everything had happened just as we thought. I know that there were no mortals who could see it, but the three of us could see her power in those clear, blue eyes.  
  
"Link, would you give this to Kimiko when she's sixteen?" I handed him one of those infamous gold letters from me and my sisters. Link jumped when he saw it, which is understandable, considering some of the things we told him in those letters. I mean, we told him that Malon loved him, that he had created an unstable universe, that Termina's temples were cursed again, that time travel was possible in Hyrule without using the Master Sword, and that he would have to stop searching for his brother!  
  
"All right. But why don't you want to give it to her yourself?"  
  
"Well, we really don't want to let her know at too young an age that we're the golden goddesses. I mean, it's hard even for you to accept that you're friends with the most powerful beings in known existence, and you're almost twenty! Imagine what it would be like for a small child. But there is something I'll give her now." I took out a small gold bracelet with a Triforce charm hanging from it. "Wear this always, little Kimiko. As you grow, it will grow to fit you."  
  
"Nayru? Can I ask you something?"  
  
"Sure, Link. What is it?"  
  
"Why don't you want to tell us why Kimiko is so important?"  
  
"I don't want to change anything. She has to be raised like a normal girl. Until she is sixteen. I will tell you these two things, though. First, it has to do with you and Malon holding my sisters' parts of the Triforce. Second, she will stop aging when she turns sixteen. Don't worry about it. Nothing bad will happen to her. Only good."  
  
"All right."  
  
"Nayru? We have to be going, now, don't we?" Farore has always been the one who watches the clock.  
  
"Yeah. Din? You coming?"  
  
"Uh-huh. Let's go."  
  
"Bye, Link, Malon, little Kimiko. We'll come visit again soon." Thinking back, before this, we had to keep up false personalities for Link. Not only when we talked to Link and the others, but when we were talking about anything that had to do with him. Until then, Link had made our lives strange. Now, he was making them normal.  
  
Just before we left the realm of Hyrule, I dropped a man on the bridge over the canyon outside Gerudo Valley, but I'm sure you'll hear about him from someone else soon enough. My sisters and I departed for that place beyond the Sacred Realm, where time passes differently. While you're there, the seconds pass more slowly, and the years pass more quickly. Everyone down in Hyrule seemed to move like turtles, but it had been only fifteen years since we created it. Amazing that we could create a place so wonderful when we were only five years old, but at the same time, that might be the explanation. Complex, huh? That's why I envy the Hyrulians sometimes...  
  
How'd you like that? Writing from Nayru's perspective was probably the strangest thing I've ever done with this fic, unless you count that time when I switched to the romance genre in the first place. But to all of you, this is one of the strangest. I think. I don't know, I'm not you, so I can't say. Well, I must continue with this, and I'm not in an 'author's note' kind of mood right now. Later! 


	12. Rown

I'm sorry this chapter took so long. I barely had time to write as it was, but halfway through, I had to write chapter 13! You'll see why later... Oh, important! It is about half an hour's ride from Hyrule Castle to Gerudo Valley and back. Lon Lon Ranch is the same distance from Gerudo Valley as Hyrule Castle. Therefore, it is thirty minutes after Nabooru leaves the castle that she and (you'll find out later in the chapter) get to the ranch.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Day Two Hundred Two: Early Afternoon  
  
Nabooru's POV  
  
Outside Gerudo Valley  
  
That day, I was on my way back from Hyrule Castle. I'd had a meeting with Queen Zelda about what to do with the few Gerudo who were still loyal to that swine, Ganondorf. The meeting was cut short because she and the king were going to see Link's new daughter. Link...  
  
There's a lot of people who say I'm too old for him, just because I looked like I was already an adult back when he met me as a ten year old. Actually, I was only fourteen at the time. Don't believe me? What can I say? Gerudo mature quickly. Kinda the anti-Kokiri, I guess. Either way, I'm only four years older than him, so you can't throw that excuse at me for what I'm going to say next.  
  
I'm surprised he never noticed any of the obvious signs. The way I looked at him... That conversation we had when I became the Sage of Spirit... "If only I knew you would become such a handsome man..." Still, Link never noticed that I loved him. And now he was married and had a child...  
  
I was broken out of my thoughts when I saw something red on the bridge. It was a man, unconscious with his legs hanging off the side! I ran up as quick as I could and caught him just before he fell off. "Sir? Sir?! S..." That's when I saw his face. It was Link! Well, almost. His hair and his barely open eyes were red, to match his clothes. "Link? Are you all right? What happened to your hair and eyes?"  
  
"Link? That's my brother. I'm Rown. You must be Nabooru. You know, I don't remember anything. I mean, I remember people and places and names, but I can't remember any events. I can't even remember how I wound up on that bridge, or how I got so beat up." He was a wreck. I could see now that he looked like he had been attacked by a band of Stalfos.  
  
"Shh. Let me take you to my home in Gerudo Valley. I'll fix you up, and maybe we can go see your niece a little later."  
  
"My niece? Oh, yeah. Kimiko. Have I seen her yet? No. I can only remember her name. If I'd seen her, there'd be a face."  
  
"Come on. I'll help you get on my horse." We both got on the horse and rode the rest of the way into the valley. "Oh, I'd better pin this on you, or you'll be captured." I gave him a Gerudo Membership Card. We went to my house and I started taking care of him. "I didn't know Link had more than one brother. The only one I knew about was Tael, the king."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Besides him and me, there's Fado and Miku. Fado lives in the forest, and Miku lives down by the lake. They're both married to sages. You know, Saria and Ruto?"  
  
"What about you? Where do you live? Who are you with?" I slapped myself mentally. 'God, Nabooru. How stupid could you be, asking a question like that. You just met him ten minutes ago and you're asking about his love life?'  
  
"Well, I don't think I live anywhere. And there's nobody. In fact, I feel as if I didn't exist before you found me on that bridge."  
  
"Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this later." I finished his first aid with a simple healing spell. "There, all better. What do you say we go visit little Kimiko now?"  
  
"Sure!" We got back on my horse and rode out to Lon Lon Ranch. Tael and Zelda were just leaving the house when we got there. Zelda saw us and looked confused.  
  
"Hi, Nabooru. Who's this?" Huh?  
  
"I'd think you'd know. Rown is your brother-in-law, after all."  
  
"Umm, I've never seen him before." Tael looked confused.  
  
"Well, he has to really be another of Link's brothers. There's no way he could look like he does if he wasn't. But... You'd better go inside and talk to Link about it. We'd better be go..." Zelda was interrupted by Tael.  
  
"Rown, do you have any memories before now?"  
  
"Only waking up on the bridge in front of Gerudo Valley and Nabooru finding me and treating my wounds before bringing me here." Tael turned and whispered something to Zelda.  
  
"Well, we know why, but you should hear it from Link. He'll understand better. Well, bye!" For some reason, Zelda turned to the back of the ranch as she spoke. Hmm... Rown and I walked inside, and almost right into Link.  
  
"Whoa! Oh, hi, Naboo... Oh, boy. Farore told me they would do that but she never told me when. Listen..." Link told us about the conversation he had with the goddess of courage in his dream. The only thing he seemed to be leaving out was why they did it... "I'm sorry, but she didn't tell me your name..."  
  
"Oh, I'm Rown. Hey, could we go see Kimiko, now?"  
  
"I suppose. She's been getting a lot of attention today, though." It really showed. Kimiko was just falling asleep when we walked in. I swear, she was a little angel. Such a beautiful girl. I hoped to have a daughter like this someday.  
  
"Link, do you think Ganondorf will ever escape?" I couldn't help but ask. After my meeting with Zelda, Rown had been the only other thing I could think about. Rown, with his incredible red eyes, and... Whoa. I had it bad.  
  
"I'm almost positive he will, but it won't be in any of our lifetimes. He'll probably break out of the Sacred Realm in a few hundred years, and a hero will emerge, just as I did, and defeat him again. I wouldn't worry about it."  
  
"Okay. Well, I guess we have to go now. It's a long ride back to Gerudo Valley." Sure, fifteen minutes wasn't that long, but there was something I wanted to ask Rown. Oddly enough, Link didn't ask Rown to stay there, and he showed us out.  
  
"Umm, Nabooru. I don't have anywhere to stay."  
  
"You can stay with me, Rown. I won't mind." 'I won't mind a bit!'  
  
"Won't it be awkward?"  
  
"Rown, what do you think of me?" I had no choice but to be fairly direct about this. Rown started blushing, a good sign.  
  
"Uh...Well...I think you're great. I really like you."  
  
"Well, I like you, too, so I don't think awkwardness will be a problem. Let's go." I think I almost gave my poor Rown a heart attack. He climbed onto the horse behind me, and I turned around and kissed him. He didn't speak again the whole way back to Gerudo Valley.  
  
Well, how's that? Just about what you all asked for? I sure hope so. Now, since I had to write chapter 13 before I could finish this, it'll be posted early tomorrow afternoon. Until then! 


	13. Zelda and Tael's Visit

Well, I'm typing this in the middle of typing chapter 12. You should be able to figure out why.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Day Two Hundred Two: Early Afternoon  
  
Zelda's POV  
  
Hyrule Castle  
  
"Tael! Come on, we have to go!" I had just called my meeting with Nabooru short so me and Tael could go see Kimiko, and now he was taking forever to get ready. I was standing outside the bathroom. He'd been showering for over two hours. "Nabooru just left a couple minutes ago because I said we were going to Lon Lon Ranch. You're not going to make me lie, dammit!"  
  
"All right, all right! I'm getting out! Just let me dry off and we'll go!" Five minutes later, we were walking through my closet (the warp had been moved up to our new room), coming out in Lon Lon Ranch's storehouse. It was just a short walk to the house. From the storehouse, I could have sworn I saw three girls in front of the house disappear. Hmm...  
  
"Tael! Zelda! Come in!" Malon had just walked outside. "Thanks again, Zelda, for helping me."  
  
"Don't worry about it. Anything for a friend like you." I saw this look on her face, as if I had confirmed something. "Well, Tael has yet to see baby Kimiko, so why don't we go inside?"  
  
"Oh, my. This can't possibly be my niece, can it?" Tael was almost in shock.  
  
"Uh-huh. This is our little Kimiko," replied Malon.  
  
"You know, she's going to be very pretty when she grows up. Link, you'd better get a big stick to beat the guys off."  
  
"Don't worry about that, Tael. With my reputation as Hero of Time, all I'll have to do is glare at them or make some comment about joining Ganondorf and they'll leave my Kimiko alone."  
  
"Ahem. Your Kimiko?" There was a look of false anger on Malon's face.  
  
"Our Kimiko?"  
  
"Much better."  
  
"So, have you seen the goddesses yet?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah, they came. Nayru gave me a letter to give to Kimiko when she turns 16, but she wouldn't tell me what it is or why Kimiko is so important. The only thing she told me is that it's because me and Malon each have a Triforce piece."  
  
"Who knew this would be so important? And this all started before that thing with the Fierce Deity. Well, there's one thing we know. She's going to be normal until she turns 16." Right then, I fainted and fell into a dream.  
  
There was a girl with long red hair. Her eyes were glowing blue, and she was floating in front of the Temple of Time. Standing next to her was a blue fox. The fox started to change, and soon, she was a human girl with blue eyes and hair, and a fox's ears and tail. She was the one who spoke. "Kimiko? Are you sure about this?" That girl was Kimiko?  
  
"I'm positive, Blu. I have no choice. I'm just sorry I had to take the Spiritual Stones from my dad like that, but we need to get the Triforce back to my parents and my aunt before someone else gets it." What? We had lost the Triforce? As I was watching this, a woman appeared next to me. Her eyes, hair, and clothes were blue. I felt some strange sort of connection to her, and my left hand started to feel warm.  
  
"Zelda, you can't tell anybody about this. We need to make sure that Kimiko is not treated any differently until she turns sixteen and reads that letter."  
  
"Nayru?"  
  
"Yeah. I know it'll be hard for you, but just think about what could go wrong if anybody knew about this. Just one thing is that Link could hide the Spiritual Stones. I'm going to have to shield this memory from you. You'll remember it in sixteen years, but until then, you won't remember anything about it."  
  
"All right. Well, if you're going to do it, would you get it over with."  
  
"Okay. You'll wake up and remember none of this." Nayru placed her hand on my arm, and everything faded away. I woke up on the floor of Kimiko's room.  
  
"Zel? Zel, are you okay?" Tael was looking extremely worried.  
  
"I'm fine. I just feel like... I don't know. It's like there's something that I can't remember. It's like I had another of my prophetic dreams, but someone powerful doesn't want me to remember it. All I can remember is Nayru touching my arm in front of the Temple of Time. Then, I woke up."  
  
"Well, at least we know who it was about." Link looked annoyed and understanding at the same time.  
  
"What? Who? How?"  
  
"Kimiko. The one thing the goddesses won't tell us."  
  
"Don't worry, Link. I'm sure sixteen years will pass in the blink of an eye."  
  
"Tael, that doesn't help any. You forget, I've only lived twelve years of my nineteen year life. And you haven't even been alive for a whole year yet."  
  
"True, but there's nothing you can do about it, so don't worry. The goddesses know what they're doing. Well, we'd better be going. See you later!"  
  
"Bye!" We walked outside, and were just about to walk to the back of the ranch to leave, when a horse came riding up. It was Nabooru and... LINK?! "Hi, Nabooru. Who's this?"  
  
"I'd think you'd know. Rown is your brother-in-law, after all."  
  
"Umm, I've never seen him before." Tael looked confused.  
  
"Well, he has to really be another of Link's brothers. There's no way he could look like he does if he wasn't. But... You'd better go inside and talk to Link about it. We'd better be go..." Tael interrupted me.  
  
"Rown, do you have any memories before now?"  
  
"Only waking up on the bridge in front of Gerudo Valley and Nabooru finding me and treating my wounds before bringing me here."  
  
"That's exactly how I was when Link created me with the gauntlet. Either the goddesses just created him, or Link used the gauntlet to split himself in two again," Tael whispered in my ear.  
  
"Well, we know why, but you should hear it from Link. He'll understand better. Well, bye!" As Rown and Nabooru walked inside, me and Tael started back to the storehouse. I was ready for a nap, with Tael beside me.  
  
I couldn't resist putting that little bit of fluff at the end. Well, I'm writing this before I'm done with chapter 12. At this point, I've only written up to the part where Rown and Nabooru get to the ranch. I know you'll have already read it, so don't tell me what happens! Wait a minute... This won't get posted until a few hours after that gets posted, and that can't get posted until I write it, so... D'oh! 


	14. Year 0: Our Little Kimiko

I have written in some pretty strange places since I started in September, but this is by far the strangest. I'm writing this on a 3x5 note card in science class. I don't know what's wrong with me, other than I have a lot of note cards. -_-'  
  
This marks the last visit to Kimiko. I mean, this baby has had a long day! Now, whose POV to write it in...  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 14  
  
Day Two Hundred Two: Evening  
  
Malon's POV  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
It had been a terribly long day for Kimiko. After Nabooru and Rown left, Fado and Saria showed up, and Ruto and Miku came as they were leaving! Miku was a little shaken, something about goddesses and teleportation... Now, Kimiko was sleeping as if she were a Goron; like a rock. Link and I were talking in our room.  
  
"Link? What do you think of this whole thing?"  
  
"I think I've been thrown from being the adventuring hero the loving husband and father, and I wouldn't have it any other way." What did I do to deserve him?  
  
"That's nice, but I meant the situation with Kimiko and Rown."  
  
"Well, I trust the goddesses, and I think that if they don't bring it up, we'll forget about it soon enough, until it's time. For now, let's just enjoy having a little baby girl. Our Kimiko."  
  
"I was hoping you'd say that. Have I told you today that I love you?"  
  
"Things were too busy, but I know you thought it all the time."  
  
"Then I'll say it now. I love you, Link."  
  
"When did you realize it?"  
  
"Well, I got a tiny 'ten year old' crush on you that day in the marketplace, but it didn't really hit me until that first time you came to the ranch after you woke up. What about you?"  
  
"I knew that day, seven years ago. I knew that the lost little girl, looking for her dad would grow up to be very pretty and the kindest, sweetest person I would ever meet."  
  
"You knew all that as a ten year old?"  
  
"All right. I thought you were a funny girl who might be able to get into as much trouble as me. I really started liking you when I woke up seven days later, seven years for you, with 18 year old hormones. Trust me, instant puberty ain't fun."  
  
"I'm sure it isn't."  
  
"You remember when I played that game with your dad and he gave me that bottle?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Well, just joking with me, he asked if I'd like to marry you since I won."  
  
"He did? What did you say?"  
  
"I told him yes."  
  
"Well, it took you seven years, but you did it."  
  
"Are you happy?"  
  
"Happier than anyone deserves to be." Just then, we heard Navi's scream, followed by both hers and Kimiko's crying. We bypassed the stairs, jumping the eight feet to the floor.  
  
"Navi? What happened?" I'd only seen Link this hysterical when I was giving birth to Kimiko, who I was now holding.  
  
"I...I was a-asleep and...and sh-she pulled on m-my wings!" replied the fairy through her tears, trying to rub her back.  
  
"Here, let me help you." Link massaged Navi's back with his fingertip. Right then, I got the feeling that Navi was about to join me, Zelda, Saria, Ruto, and Nabooru. In what, I didn't know. The fairy stopped sobbing and fell back asleep, just at the same time as Kimiko. WE put them back in the crib, making sure to lay Navi down by Kimiko's feet.  
  
"The joys of parenthood, eh, Link?"  
  
"How long until she becomes an obnoxious toddler?"  
  
Well! There's the first chapter I ever wrote entirely at school! I wasn't sure how long it would be typed up, though, so I was thinking of adding on to it, but I think it's all right. Well, this is the first of many semi-pointless chapters, but I want to write a bit of Kimiko's childhood before I finish the story. Besides, I'm anxious to develop the character of Blu! Last thing, would you believe that I wrote this on half an hour of sleep? 


	15. Year 5: Blu

Well, I've decided something. Starting with this chapter, I'm not counting days for the rest of this story. I'll start over with day one at the beginning of the fourth part. From here, time is measured in the number of years since the last chapter.  
  
Note: Hylians learn fast. This explains why the girls talk the way they do. That and I'm incompetent at writing dialogue for a five year old.  
  
Note2: Anyone wondering about the origin of Blu, go read the reviews for my one-shot, Just a Fairy.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 15  
  
Five Years Later  
  
Link's POV  
  
Hyrule Castle Town  
  
"Mom, Dad! Hurry up! I wanna see Blu!" Kimiko had recently made a friend in town, a girl named Kitsune who was almost always on a sugar high. Everyone called her Blu for her hair and eyes. We were walking up to the door when we heard a loud yell.  
  
"Demon! Get out of this house, monster!" Blu's mom was shouting. The next thing we knew, Blu was flying out the door. Something was different about her. The five year old had blue fox ears and a blue fox tail, and she was holding a sword.  
  
"Blu! Blu, what happened?!" Kimiko was by her side in a second. Blu stopped crying long enough to answer.  
  
"Last night, I had this dream. I found out that I'm a fox spirit. I woke up this morning like this, with this sword, Tobu-Ken. My parents saw me and figured I had become some sort of demon and they...they..." Blu started sobbing into Kimiko's shoulder again.  
  
"It's all right, Blu." Kimiko looked like she was taking the whole weight of this on herself, so I stepped in.  
  
"You know, Blu, if you want, you can come live with us." Well, that brought back normal Blu. She was so hyper, I couldn't even make out what she was saying. The only three words I caught were "beef ramen" and "sugar". Strange. "Umm, Blu? I think we should put Tobu-Ken away with my swords when we get home. I'll give it back to you when you're old enough."  
  
"Okay. He was starting to annoy me anyway."  
  
'He?' I thought. "Uh, okay..."  
  
"Hey, look what I can do!" Blu started to change, and in a few seconds, a blue fox was in her place. She started running to the ranch, and we followed. Needless to say, she made it there long before the rest of us. She changed back, and I took Tobu-Ken and put 'him' away.  
  
"Blu? You want to help us get you set up in Kimiko's room?" Kimiko's room had changed quite a bit. There was no crib anymore. The need for that was gone. The bed Malon and I had slept in until we got the other one cleaned up split into two, so Kimiko used one and the other was a spare. "Why don't you guys get everything situated? I have to go run an errand." Malon walked into the room just then.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"I'll tell you later. I want to make it a surprise." I got on Epona and rode back to the market. I had fully intended on asking for "Kitsune's" things back, saying that Kimiko wanted something to remember her by, but there was no need. All of Blu's things were in a bag in the garbage. I picked up the bag and put it on Epona and rode home. "Blu? Come here, Blu! I have something for you!"  
  
I could have sworn I heard her yell "Is it beef ramen?!" from inside the house. Hmm... Blu came running out of the house. "What is it?"  
  
"I brought you back your old things." Before I could finish my sentence, Blu had dived headfirst into the bag, emerging with three things: A pouch of instant beef ramen, a big bag of candy, and a stuffed blue fox. I brought the bag inside, walking past Blu, who was making the ramen and eating the candy. What had I gotten myself into?  
  
I hope I did an all right job with the Blu character. I promised that I wouldn't make Blu out of character. Not that the real Blu would find out for a while anyway, but... Oops. I said too much. I'll explain later, if you don't figure it out first. The next chapter is another five years in the future! 


	16. Year 10: Songs, Swords, and Ramen

In response to a review from "Nobody", I am not forgetting the Goron race. Rather, it is you who is forgetting that Link and Darunia are 'Sworn Brothers'. And if anybody brings in the Sheikah, it's more of an indirect connection to Link, but it's still through the Royal Family. That's all.  
  
Note: I found a plot problem in chapter 22 of the Deity's Escape. If Malon's mom died giving birth, how did she teach Malon Epona's Song? To correct this, I've taken that part out.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 16  
  
Five Years Later  
  
Malon's POV  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
"Kimiko? Kimiko! Kimi-AAAHHH!" I had been calling my daughter when a wall of fire erupted in front of me.  
  
"Boo!" Blu hadn't changed much in the past five years. She was just a teeny bit more mature, but not much. Her powers, on the other hand, had changed drastically. A couple of times, I had seen her sneak out of the house with Tobu-Ken and fly around on him. The other thing was fox fire, which she liked to use to scare me.  
  
"Blu, Kimiko," I knew my daughter was there too, since they never separated, "I have something I want to teach you."  
  
"What is it, Mom?" Kimiko was a little more 'in control' than Blu. They were a perfect balance for each other.  
  
"Well, it's a song. Your father and I each have a song we think you should learn. Your grandmother made this one up."  
  
"What happened to Grandma and Grandpa?"  
  
"Your grandma got sick when I was five. There was no cure. Your grandpa got killed by a shadow demon about a year before you were born."  
  
"Well, what's the song?" I taught her Epona's Song.  
  
"It calms horses, makes cows give you milk, and if you're ever in Hyrule Field and need Epona, it calls her."  
  
"I thought I wasn't allowed out there on my own."  
  
"Well, what if we were together and got separated? Besides, you can go out there alone after you turn sixteen. Come on, let's go see your father." We walked out of the house, to the center of the corral, where Link was brushing Epona. "Hi there, Link."  
  
"Well, hello. What's up?"  
  
"Not much. I thought you might like to teach the girls the Song of Time."  
  
"All right. Well, do you remember when I told you I opened the Door of Time 17 years ago? Well, I had to collect three Spiritual Stones and play this song with the Ocarina of Time. It turns out that there's one more ocarina that could have opened it, made by the Kokiri, but it's lost and that's beside the point. This song also saved us all in Termina by letting us travel back in time three days. Did you know that you'd gone back in time seven times before?"  
  
"Cool! So are you gonna teach us this thing or what?" Link realized he'd been rattling on and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. Hearing the Song of Time, I almost expected to end up back in that white void, returning to the clock tower. But, it had been almost eleven years since then, though you'd never know it by looking at me, Link, or any of the others.  
  
Blu snapped us all out of it by shooting past on Tobu-Ken. "Blu! You're supposed to keep Tobu-Ken locked up for another six years!" Link wasn't happy, but he stopped when he heard another voice.  
  
"You can't lock me up! Freedom!" yelled Tobu-Ken. That's right. The sword spoke. This was getting out of hand! I extended my left hand and called upon the Triforce of Power. I was vaguely aware that my eyes were glowing as I pulled Tobu-Ken back. Blu jumped off, just before I sealed Tobu-Ken in a block of stone with a clock on the outside.  
  
"The clock will hit zero on your sixteenth birthday, and the block will crumble." I moved the block next to a pile of crates, where I put a crate around it. "Don't worry, Blu. I put the spirit inside to sleep. He'll be fine when you're ready for him."  
  
"'kay. He was starting to annoy me anyway. See you in six years, Tobu-Ken!" Blu ran inside for her fifth bowl of ramen today. We'd gone through more beef ramen in the past five years than most people eat in a lifetime. Blu certainly was a handful, but she was Kimiko's best friend, and we love her like a daughter.  
  
Aww... Wasn't that sweet? Well, from this point on, time will pass differently. I can't say how, but it will. Oh, if anyone's wondering, instant ramen DOES exist in Hyrule, but it's not really instant, since you have to wait for the water to boil... Hey, at least it's not packaged in plastic! Oh, I'm already done writing chapters 17 and 18, but I haven't gotten a chance to type in days. I actually wrote this on Monday or Tuesday, but I just barely got to type! I still have some homework, so I can't promise I'll get to type the next two chapters tonight, but it'll be soon, so don't worry! 


	17. Year 11: Auntie Din

I think it's time I told you all about Blu. Blu the character is based on Blu the author. Her penname is Luna-Kitsune-Blu. I started talking with her after she reviewed Just a Fairy, and I thought she would make a really good character in this story, and that character would be the perfect best friend for the Kimiko I had planned out in my head. Now, there are several things about Blu that are not mine. First, Tobu-Ken is not mine. Blu came up with the talking sword before I met her. Second, Blu has been a fox spirit since before I met her. I'm not sure if it would scare me more that she was joking or telling the truth... Third, the real Blu does eat lots of beef ramen and sugar, or at least that's what she tells me, and who am I to doubt her? Anyway, just about the only things about Blu that are mine are what she says and what she does, and even those are based on Blu the author's pre-existing personality. I just thought you should all know about this.  
  
Note: Ninmast, you're partially correct. The other characters will fade out for a while, since most of their loose ends have been tied. Part four will focus on Kimiko and Blu, although the other characters will each show up at least once (I think).  
  
Note2: I forgot to explain the name Rown! Rown is one of the Koroks in TWW. He's the one with the maple leaf shaped mask.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 17  
  
One Year Later  
  
Din's POV  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
"Auntie Din! Auntie Nayru! Auntie Farore!" My sisters and I had decided to visit the ranch today. Kimiko and Blu were eleven now, just five years away from gaining their powers. That's right. Kimiko AND Blu. We had missed it before the first time we had seen her with our own eyes, but the fox spirit inside Blu had held the Triforce in a past life. She would be just as important as Kimiko. Oh! I'm sorry. I always drift away from what I'm talking about.  
  
Anyway, the girls only knew us as their parents' friends, and their adopted 'aunts'. "Hi, Kimiko. Hi, Blu. We have something for you." My sisters and I set down big bags full of candy and beef ramen. I have no idea how Blu managed to get boiling water so fast, but she was making the ramen before the bags touched the ground. Link walked outside just then.  
  
"Hi, girls. What's up?"  
  
"Not much. Just felt like visiting. I can tell you want to ask something. What is it?" We walked over to the corner, where Tobu-Ken still slept.  
  
"You know about the letter Nayru gave me eleven years ago. It won't be much longer before I have to give it to Kimiko. Do I tell her it's from you, or do I tell her it's from the goddesses?"  
  
"You can tell her it's from us. She'll know by the time she's done reading it anyway."  
  
"That'll be so soon, won't it? I mean the first eleven years have just flown by, haven't they? It'll be less than half that until she's sixteen. you promise she'll be all right?  
  
"I swear it. Nothing bad will happen to either of them. All I can tell you is that in five years, Kimiko will wake up."  
  
"What do you mean 'either of them'?"  
  
"Well, Blu is important, too. The fox spirit inside her had the Triforce in a past life."  
  
"But I thought nobody had entered the Sacred Realm before I opened it..."  
  
"That's true. In that life, Blu didn't enter the Sacred Realm. She was born there. She was alone. When she got the Triforce, she wished to die and be reborn in Hyrule, and to have one good friend. I probably shouldn't have told you that, but we're already keeping a lot from you. Don't worry. We'll explain it all once it's time."  
  
"Poor Blu..."  
  
"She doesn't know anything about it, so don't tell her. It would only make her sad."  
  
"All right." We walked back to Kimiko and Blu.  
  
"You guys gotta stop her! This is her tenth bowl of ramen!"  
  
I love goddess chapters. They let me show off things the others aren't supposed to know about yet. Jeez, this chapter seemed a lot longer on note cards. It's six cards long. Well, since I have about 20 free minutes before I have to go back to class (if that confuses you and you want to hear a semi-funny story, e-mail or IM me), I'll try and get chapters 18 and 19 typed up. I have them written, but I still need to type them. 


	18. Year 13: Sneaking Out

Some may call me crazy for this... I'm writing this chapter from the POV of a character who's based on a real person. Blu, if I get your character wrong, please help me fix it. Yes, for those that are slow, Luna-Kitsune-Blu is the real Blu...  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 18  
  
Two Years Later  
  
Blu's POV  
  
Hyrule Field  
  
"Blu, I'm not so sure about this..." Kimiko's always been more cautious than me. I guess it's safer, but how can you have any fun that way?  
  
"Aww, come on! We're thirteen years old! We can go out to Hyrule Field if we want to! Come on, let's go to Lake Hylia!" Kimiko's parents were out delivering milk, so I got Kimiko to sneak out into Hyrule Field with me. What ingenious plan got her to do that, you ask? Why, all I had to do was turn into a fox and look sad. Cute is good...  
  
"Isn't Lake Hylia a little far?"  
  
"Nah. Tijo and Lulu told me about an underground shortcut when they told me that Miku and Ruto would be in Zora's Domain all day today. Your parents won't get back until about six, so we've got plenty of time! It's a fool proof plan!" Or, at least it would seem that way... Tobu-Ken: Where am I? Blu: You're sleeping in a block of stone. Tobu-Ken: *snore* Blu: -_-' Where was I? Ah, yes...  
  
About 10 yards from the gate, there was a hole covered by some bushes. WE jumped in and found ourselves jumping out of another hole by Lake Hylia. It was fun, so I did it a few more times! "Blu? Blu? BLU!"  
  
"Wha? Whadya want?"  
  
"Are we going swimming or not?" WE met up with Kimiko's Zora cousins, Tijo and Lulu, and we swam for a while. A long while. Too long. Before we knew it, the sun was setting. We dried off and jumped back in the hole. Hyrule Field was dark. That's where things went wrong. Halfway back, about ten skeletons appeared around us. "Stalchildren!"  
  
"We don't have any weapons!"  
  
"You turn into a fox and get my dad! He should be home by now!" I tried to do what she said, but the Stalchildren had formed a tight circle around us. "Hey, I know!"  
  
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Kimiko's reply was to pull out a red crystal and her ocarina. We stood back to back, and she released Din's Fire right when I used my fox fire. The resulting explosion killed all the Stalchildren and started a huge grass fire. Kimiko played the Song of Storms. The fire was put out instantly, just before it would have reached the ranch.  
  
"You do realize that we're going to have to explain this later."  
  
"The key word there is 'later'. Right now, we have to focus on getting back inside the ranch before that wagon." Hey, I'm goofy, but I can think in a panic, and this was a panic. Kimiko's parents were just barely visible in the distance, and could only be seen by the lantern hanging from the wagon. They had just turned a corner, so the hadn't seen the inferno or the ran, and it was too dark to see the scorch marks. We bolted and reached the gate just before they would have seen us. We were safe, for now.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To make some ramen. Things have to look normal, and I haven't eaten all day!"  
  
Yay! I survived it! I just hope I didn't do too bad. If I did, Blu will stick Tobu-Ken through my forehead again! 


	19. Year 16: Flight of the Triforce

Well, this is it. Technically, this is the last chapter of the story, but I have a special surprise for all of you for chapter 20. Chapter 20 will be a nice break from the seriousness of this, and chapter 21 will announce when part 4 goes up. Well, that's about it!  
  
Note: I just posted three chapters at once, so if you haven't read about the girls at ages eleven and thirteen, go back now!  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 19  
  
Three Years Later  
  
Link's POV  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
This was it. Kimiko's sixteenth birthday was tomorrow. I was almost as nervous as the day she was born. I couldn't sleep a wink. What was in store for her? This was my only daughter, and something was going to happen to her tomorrow. While I was thinking about this, a golden envelope appeared in my lap. This one was different, though. It turned green around where I was touching it.  
  
Dear Link,  
  
Don't worry about Kimiko. She'll be fine. You have the Triforce of Courage! You wouldn't want to get scared and ruin my reputation, would you? Get dressed and go outside. The old lady from the potion shop will be outside the ranch with a broken wheel on her cart. Replace it with one of your spares and ask for a sleeping potion. 'night, Link!  
  
Farore  
  
Well, I did exactly what she said and found myself falling asleep in minutes.  
  
The next morning, I got up, feeling more nervous than ever about this. I couldn't quite figure out why, though. I took the letter out of the drawer I had kept it in for sixteen years and went downstairs. Everyone was already awake when I got there. "Good morning, Daddy." Kimiko was bright today. I decided now would be a good time, since Blu was outside, riding Tobu-Ken, who had woken up about two weeks earlier.  
  
"Happy birthday, Kimiko. Hey, I have something for you. Aunt Nayru gave it to me when you were born so I could give it to you today." I handed her the letter that would change all our lives. She read it over with a puzzled look on her face. She took her bracelet off and somehow put it back on as a necklace. I couldn't help but feel that she had changed just then. After that, she acted as if nothing had happened.  
  
"Daddy, tell me again how you opened the Door of Time..."  
  
"All right. I collected the three Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time, then I went to the altar in the Temple of Time and played the Song of Time. Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason. I'm gonna go hang out with Blu for a while." After that, the day passed as normal. Nothing different happened, besides the fact that we had birthday cake after dinner. That night, however, was a different story.  
  
Once again, I couldn't sleep. I couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong. I went outside to clear my head. It was there that I saw it. On the other side of the ranch, Kimiko and Blu were preparing for something. Kimiko's eyes were glowing blue. Blu got on Tobu-Ken and started to take off. Kimiko levitated and flew off after her.  
  
I moved my left hand to open the stables and get Epona, but I stopped when I noticed the absence of a certain triangular mark. "MALON!"  
  
Oh, I'm evil for ending this part this way! It doesn't matter to you, though, because even though I'll have this chapter done, I'm not posting it until I have chapter 1 of Kimiko's Quest (I wanted to put Blu in the title, but I couldn't think of how to do it) posted. Well, I'll spare you this because I still have to write chapter 20 first! Oh, chapter 20 is omake. For those who aren't familiar with the term, I think it means extra. It's just some comedic relief that isn't tied to the story at all. And I finally get my author powers in this chapter! I've always envied those, like Blu's Review Flamethrower, or someone I remember once having the Master Stick... Anyway, I'll have to stop there, although I'm sure you've already read plenty of notes! 


	20. Omake!

Well, this chapter is omake. Once again, for those who don't know the word, it means that this is fun, extra, and it doesn't apply to the plot at all! Now, let's get me some author powers!  
  
Note: How do you like my experiment with present tense? This will only happen when it's in my POV, and whenever I state the POV, I also mean first person.  
  
Note: After Luna-Kitsune-Blu and her Tobu-Ken show up, whenever I just say Blu or Tobu-Ken without an A or a C, it means that both of them are doing whatever I say they are doing.  
  
Father of Time  
  
Chapter 20 - OMAKE!  
  
My POV  
  
Lon Lon Ranch  
  
"Is that the best you can do, Daddy?" Kimiko and her horse, Yuki, just beat Link and Epona in their fifth race today. It looks like fun... I wish I could join them! Wait a minute, I'm the author! What I write happens! Okay, in that case, I appear out of nowhere.  
  
Link: What the?!  
  
Kimiko: Who are you?  
  
Me: I'm the author, GuruGuru214, but you can call me Kenny.  
  
Blu: Hello!  
  
Tobu-Ken: Don't mind her, she just ate five pounds of sugar.  
  
Me: Why don't you meet the other Blu?  
  
Luna-Kitsune-Blu appears out of nowhere.  
  
Blu (Author): Where am I, and more importantly, where do you keep the ramen?  
  
Tobu-KenA: Don't mind her, she hasn't had her ten...bowls...of... Two Blus? NOOOO!!!!  
  
Blu (Character): It's me!  
  
BluA: -stares-  
  
BluC: -stares-  
  
Me: Right. So, what shall I do to entertain myself? Hmm...  
  
Suddenly, Tobu-Ken turns into a chicken!  
  
Tobu-Ken (both): Which one?  
  
Both of 'em!  
  
Me: ph34r m4h m4d hi|in 5killz!  
  
All: Huh?  
  
Note to self: Never speak l33t in Hyrule.  
  
Me: Never mind.  
  
Tobu-Ken turns back into swords.  
  
Tobu-Ken: Whew!  
  
Really, really small swords.  
  
Tobu-Ken: EEK!  
  
Like daggers.  
  
Tobu-KenA: You said you wouldn't do that!  
  
Me: I lied.  
  
BluA stabs me in the forehead again.  
  
Me: At least Tobu-Ken isn't as big as the first time you did that.  
  
BluA appears behind me on a full-sized Tobu-Ken, Tobu-KenB grows again, and the wound in my forehead heals itself.  
  
Me: Come on, is that the best you can do?  
  
BluA hits me with the back of her hand, sending me into the wall of the stables. The wall bends and slingshots me back, falling onto BluA.  
  
Me: This is awkward...  
  
We all go back in time to before I turned Tobu-Ken into chickens, and I'm the only one who remembers it.  
  
Me: So, what shall I do to entertain myself? Hmm... I know!  
  
I pull out my specially amplified Wavebird wireless controller!  
  
Link: What are you doing with that thing?  
  
Tobu-KenA: What good is a video game controller when there's no electricity?  
  
Me: This is my fanfic. It has plenty of uses.  
  
I start pushing buttons, and Link starts moving.  
  
Link: What the?!  
  
Link hits a Cucco with his sword.  
  
Link: Oh 5hi7.  
  
Hey, l33t's okay to use to cover up curse words! Anyway, Link keeps hitting the Cucco.  
  
Link: Mommy!  
  
Cucco: Cock-a-doodle-doo!  
  
A swarm of Cuccos pecks Link into a bloody pulp, then leaves.  
  
Link: Ouch.  
  
Link passes out and gets turned back into a Hylian, rather than the bucket of bloody pulp he was a second ago.  
  
Kimiko: That wasn't very nice. You know, I'm the most powerful mage in Hyrule. You'll be sorry.  
  
I turn off the Wavebird just before Kimiko turns me into a Japanese schoolgirl.  
  
Me: That wasn't very nice. You know, I'm the author of this fic. I can do anything I want, make you say anything I want, etc. Get the picture?  
  
I turn myself back and turn Kimiko into a poodle in a tutu for ten seconds.  
  
Kimiko: ¡Mucho queso! Huh? Where did that come from?  
  
Ganondorf walks out of a rip in space.  
  
Ganondorf: I'm free, I'm free!  
  
Ganondorf falls into a wormhole, ending up back in the Sacred Realm.  
  
Ganondorf: Dang it!  
  
Me: This is pointless.  
  
BluA: Yup. And they don't have any ramen. I want ramen. I had chicken. That's not ramen. It's chicken.  
  
Tobu-KenA: And she says other people are dense...  
  
Kimiko: ¡Mis pantalones están en fuego!  
  
Subtitle: My pants are on fire!  
  
Okay, Kimiko stops speaking Spanish, as long as she behaves.  
  
Kimiko: I'm shutting up now... *halo*  
  
BluC: This is just dumb. I'm going to go make some ramen.  
  
BluA: You...You...have...ramen?!  
  
BluA jumps on the back of BluC and proceeds to pound on her head with a herring.  
  
BluA: WHY...DIDN'T...YOU...TELL...ME...YOU...HAD...RAMEN?!  
  
BluC: You never asked.  
  
BluA: Oh. Okay!  
  
Blu walks inside and walks out with ramen.  
  
Me: Well, this is getting boring. Ready to go home, Blu?  
  
BluA: But I'm not done with my ramen yet!  
  
Me: Oh, fine.  
  
BluA finishes her ramen.  
  
Me: Better?  
  
BluA: Much.  
  
Me: Can we go now? I don't like the idea of self-insertion.  
  
Tobu-KenA: What about your author powers?  
  
Me: Okay, meet Makoto and Asako.  
  
Twin girls appear on my shoulders, both winged, one in white, one in black.  
  
Makoto: Hello!  
  
Asako: Yo.  
  
Tobu-KenA: What exactly are they?  
  
Me: Makoto's my shoulder angel, and Asako's my shoulder devil.  
  
Tobu-KenA: Okay, then. Anything else, besides annoying fairy-like creatures?  
  
Makoto and Asako: HEY!  
  
Me: Meet my review blow gun!  
  
Tobu-KenA: Sounds like a rip-off of someone's review flamethrower.  
  
Me: Yeah, but Blu's not listening at the moment, so who cares? Besides, mine's different. Watch.  
  
I pull out Blu's review flamethrower and use it on a dummy.  
  
BluA: Hey!  
  
Okay, I give it back to her. Then, I shoot a blow dart at the other dummy.  
  
Me: See, hers leaves a pile of charred ashes, and mine leaves a puddle of green goop!  
  
Tobu-KenA: Fine. Now can we leave this sorry excuse for something fun?  
  
Me: Yeah, besides, too much self-insertion is bad.  
  
BluA, Tobu-KenA, and I disappear and everyone else goes back in time, erasing all evidence we were there...  
  
Well, I hope that isn't as horrid as it looks! Some interesting info, I was talking to Blu the night I was writing this, and she actually said the thing about the ramen and chicken. Really!  
  
BluFox848: i want ramen  
  
BluFox848: i had chicken  
  
BluFox848: thats not ramen  
  
BluFox848: its chicken  
  
BluFox848: Tobu-Ken: and she says other people are dense...  
  
EKGIII: Right...  
  
Or it was something like that... Well, I'm going to get to work on my next story, so I can post all of this!  
  
Okay, since FanFiction.net loves to make things difficult for me, I have to attach the author's note that points you to the sequel to the bottom here, so here's what would have gone under chapter 21:  
  
Well, I done it again. Well, as you know, the fourth part of this series is going to be called Kimiko's Quest. Like I said, I wanted to put Blu in the title, but I couldn't think of a good way to do it. I'd ask for suggestions, but by the time I post this, I'll have already posted that, and I don't like changing titles in the middle. It's a pain. The url is http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1640262. I hope you will all continue to read the next story!  
  
I'd like, once again, to thank everyone who has reviewed this. Thank you to everyone who has read this and I hope you'll all come read the next part.  
  
GuruGuru214 


End file.
